


The Minister's Daughter -DRACO MALFOY-

by ticktockdishonest



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter RPF
Genre: Altered Plot, F/M, Goblet of Fire Era, Original Character - Freeform, Prophecy, Smut, voldemort - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:29:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 25
Words: 82,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29407683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ticktockdishonest/pseuds/ticktockdishonest
Summary: 18+She's trapped. He's no saviour, and there's not much he can do about it, but he fell in love with her anyways.It gets better after chapter 4, I swear lmfao.WARNING;THIS BOOK IS POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING TO ANYONE TRIGGERED BY PHYSICAL, SEXUAL AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE, ALONG WITH OTHER TRIGGERING SUBJECTS
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/OC, Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	1. steam train

Her voice rang through my head.

"Fat little girl. What a whore." "Crucio"

I couldn't stand nervousness. She always told me it was a sign of weakness, that purebloods like me shouldn't show. The things she'd say about my father came to mind too, the awful things she said about him, how he was a 'disgrace to the magical world.'

He pulled a save this year by transferring me to Hogwarts to 'protect me from Bart.' The letter said he thought he was on his way to France to attempt to recruit me as a death eater and that Hogwarts was 'untouchable'. Alright father. Good one. He thinks he's after me to pry him away from my father, as if we are best friends. I literally haven't seen him or been to the house in a year.

The train station was busy, and the train almost glowed. I had to wait for my father before I got on the train- he had some sort of 'important message'. That train of thought came to a halt when a couple of taps on my shoulder inclined me to turn around, met by the face on the MoM.

"Audrey, darling?" He said, smiling. I loved my father, and I could sense he had a liking towards me and Barty when we were together, but I think he only had us because mother wanted to. He wasn't very family-orientated when we were younger and Bart hated him for it. We would spend nights in our library, and Barty would only rant about father's antics.

"Hello, Father" I said, as he kissed the top of my head, patting my black hair as if I were a dog on the street. "You said in the letter that you had a message?" I asked. Honestly, it seems weird but I really didn't know how to behave around him- he was a very unpredictable character.

"Yes, dear. I need you to give this to Albus," He handed me a letter, with no ministry stamps on it. Weird. "and i wanted to see you before you left. I trust you have everything? Do you have a wand? An Owl?" He asked, worriedly. Due to the time he hasn't invested in me, he didn't know that I've had a wand, owl, books and have studied the same courses for years.

"I do, I should get on the train now." People were starting to notice that the Minister of Magic was lingering on platform nine and three quarters, which made my nerves tetchier.

"Okay, Audrey. You'll make a lovely Ravenclaw" He said, as I smiled tightly. He wanted me to be in Ravenclaw like him, or just not in Slytherin in general. Barty was in Slytherin, and my father always thought he was too much of a traditionalist for his own good, but he never watched him, my mother used to say. I turned away, making my way to the train with my bags.

The inside was lovely. The compartments had comfy seats in them, with large windows. I had found an empty one and sat inside, collecting a book from my bag. Even though it's September, Scrooge's adventure didn't deter me from reading my favourite, however my peace was soon disrupted. The door slid open, revealing a boy with raven hair, circular glasses with, might I add, the thinnest silver trims and a scar peeping through his hair. Father told me about Potter, and that he was admired by Albus for his bravery in previous years, when something seemed to go wrong every year for some strange reason that good old Barty Sr could never explain.

"Hi, there aren't any um other compartments, so do you mind if we join you?" He stuttered slightly. He was followed by a girl with wavy blonde-brown hair and a red head- must be one of Arthur's. I nodded and smiled, and they came in. He sat next to me and the other two opposite. "I'm Harry, by the way. Harry Potter. This is Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger." He said, shaking my hand. The other two greeted me as i spoke up.

"I'm Audrey Crouch. Its very nice to meet you all. I've just transferred from Beauxbatons in France." I smile, as Ron looks at me with his mouth agape.

\----------------------------  
"Audrey Crouch- as in the Minister's daughter?" He asked, but Hermione scolded him in a whisper, telling him to stop being nosy, apologising on his behalf.

"It's fine. And yes, Ron, but we aren't too close. I've been in France for a while, until now. I literally arrived in England yesterday." I said to him. He smiled and proceeded to ask me questions.

"Father told me you were in France. He said the Minister sent you there after your brother passed. I seen the Minister speaking with my father when I got on the train. What was it like in France?" He asked me. France was a complex subject.

"From what I've heard, very different from Hogwarts. My father has told me that you have a sorting hat, that places you into one of four houses, but at Beauxbatons, we shoot an arrow that erupts the colours of your house, which is only 3 possibilities. I was in Ombrelune, and we were taught by one teacher for all subjects, instead of taught by teachers of specialist subjects." I ranted. It was so complex there compared to here and I could see it in their faces.

"So, you only had one mentor? Did you do the same subjects as us? How did it work?" She questioned. I felt slightly interrogated, making me nervous to give detail to my answers.

"Yes, we had one mentor that escorted us to classes that had things in for the subjects we were being taught in sessions. From what I understand, we done the same subjects as you but we had to choose a specialist, which wasn't in the curriculum. They were mostly sports skills." I said. I really hoped there weren't many other questions.

"Specialist? Is that not a bit hypocritical, seeing as they didn't have any?" Harry asked, looking confused. It really was hard to wrap your head around.

"Well, technically our non-curricular specialist subjects were some teachers subjects that they taught. I done dancing and quidditch, so I had the teacher who unfortunately taught both. She was also my head of house so she taught me everything else. Honestly, I'm glad to get away from her." I ranted, yet again. I hated her. Correction- hate her still.

"Sounds like someone wasn't best friends with the teacher" Harry said with a smile. I laughed. I really bloody wasn't. "Anyway, if the teachers weren't best suited to a subject, then what happened? Did you just not learn it as well?" He asked. Why so many questions?

"We did, but we worked from books. In our pairs, we worked at our own paces and the aim in my pair with my friend was to work as efficiently as possible, so we would have to do less later on. It worked for the most part until Madame Carrow seen we were doing nothing. Last year, she made us re-write some old school records to 'create valuable time' instead of lazing around" Even talking about her made me angry. There were many questions following that. I also asked questions about their school, but I had been there frequently enough on messages with my father during summer times when he allowed me to return. After a while, the train slowly came to a halt, making me nervous all over again. Ron invited me to stick with them, an offer I took graciously.

We got off the train and we were met by Hagrid. He and I knew each other, as he gave me my owl. He gave me a smile after his initial surprise that I was here.

"Evening, Miss Crouch. I see you've found the trouble makers now, have you? How's Dixie? I hope you've been taking good care of her, she's a proud bird, you know!" He said, passionately. He loved Dixie, what was now my owl. He sent instructions on how to take care of her properly. She's a bit too pampered for an owl, but I couldn't care less.

"Of course, Hagrid, although, you failed to tell me that a 'tan mouse' is a seasonal item in stocks" I joked. Hagrid let out a hearty laugh.

"Hagrid, you know Audrey?" Harry asked, confused.

"Oh aye, of course I know her! She's Barty's. Well, looks like they are all of the train. I'm gonna have to get the first years over the lake first, go to the back and you might catch me." We turned and got to the back of everyone. Eventually we got to some carriages being wheeled by threstrals. I could see them, as a girl once had a fatal quidditch accident in my match. The bludger almost hit me instead of her.

Harry and Ron got onto a fairly full one, whilst me and Hermione got onto an empty one. Hermione asked me about the book I was reading on the train, which sparked a conversation about our favourite authors. Alas, the conversation stopped when someone else got into the carriage. He was a tall boy, wearing all black with a mop of bright blonde hair on his head. He sat opposite us, followed by his friend.

"Shove off, Malfoy. We never invited you on our carriage. Take Blaise with you." Hermione said, angrily. Don't blame her. The Malfoy's are notorious for being rude, especially over blood status.

"Pleasure to see you too Granger. And, I would, but there are no more carriages, you see so I must suffer," he looked me up and down and slightly smirked, but narrowed his eyes as if trying to figure me out "besides, I have yet to meet your new friend. Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. And you are?" He asked with genuine question. I'm pretty sure he's looking for something else to say about the information I was about to tell him.

"Audrey Crouch" I said, not wanting to say anymore than I needed to.

"Ooo a Crouch. Barty's daughter, right? I've heard all about you from my father. Good to know there's still some sacred 28 blood in Hogwarts. You must be familiar, right?" He asked. So the rumours were true. So what if I'm sacred 28? Why should he care? I certainly don't.

"I am, but I don't see the need in placing people on pedestals over their blood" I answered back, keeping my eyes averted.

"Not so nice about that, are we? I can certainly change that." He said, smugly. I decided not to answer and soon enough, time had passed and we had to get off to enter the castle. It was better than I last remember, more magical. Professor McGonnagal came out, addressing everyone in, but told me to remain slightly behind. She guided me to the outside of the Great Hall, when all of a sudden, voices were hushed and I could faintly hear Dumbledore welcoming everybody, and the doors opened when McGonnagal signalled me to follow her. Some people were too engrossed in conversation to notice I had came in, others looked at me.

"I would like you all to warmly welcome Audrey Crouch, a transfer from Beauxbatons in France. As she will be beginning today, she will be sorted before the first years." Dumbledore said just as I was getting to the top. I knew everybody was watching, so I focussed on other things, rather than everyone's stares. McGonnagal signalled that I sat on the stool as she held the infamous sorting hat, inclining me to sit.

"Ahhh, another Crouch. Brave, this one is, but ambition running through your veins. Brainy and creative you are, yet ever resourceful. I'll have to place you," It paused for a couple of short seconds. The candles above had caught my attention, whilst listening on eagerly, "in SLYTHERIN" Clapping erupted from the Slytherin table. Disbelief. Pure disbelief. I sat in an empty seat, not realising Malfoy was opposite with that looked like two chunky bodyguards next to him. He smirked at me and I turned and met the gaze of the three I had shared the train compartment with, only getting looks of sympathy.


	2. frowns out.

It had been three days. Three horrible, but fantastic days. Lets go over the horrible first;

\- Sharing a dormitory is far different from Beauxbatons. I had to get used to waking up with 3 other girls in the room- especially Millicent Bulstrode. Her snores made me want to smash the window and let the lake consume the dorm

\- The Slytherin common room was atrocious. They had a party on the first day, which I was invited to, but it was Malfoy who invited me, so I read with Hermione in the library, narrowly escaping trouble as Snape was on duty.

\- Classes were boring. The trio ridiculed my old teachers on the train, but they haven't even started Advanced DADA yet. Who needs textbooks now?

\- Malfoy pestered me as much as he could. I mean literally. Every meal he sat next to me. Every time I was in the common room with Pansy, he would always come up to us, regardless of whether his body guards followed or not.

Now for some positivity. My mother always said to end on a high note- but this isn't the end. And the real end doesn't end on a high note. So there, Mother.

\- Harry, Ron and Hermione have been very welcoming, however Ronald's questions into my life, Beauxbatons and my father persisted. I answer them all, nobody's ever really cared too much.

\- Pansy Parkinson has befriended me, and like Ronald, had plenty questions. However, I think Pansy only took a liking to me because of my blood status. Her and Millicent banged on about it all of the time.

\- Madame Maxine sent references to Hogwarts with my extra-curriculars on them, meaning I could join the quidditch team

\- Even though classes were boring, they were very very easy. I didn't like putting my hand up too much, and when teachers pick on me I know the answers, but I am nervous nonetheless. Professor Moody sought answers in me often, which I found strange. Hermione said he 'must have a liking to me.'

Like any other, I woke up on the fourth day, Millicent's snores loud and clear through my ears. Freshest thing to wake up to. None of the other's were awake until 8 usually, and Beauxbatons has the habit of having breakfast at the crack of dawn. Its 7:30 and I'm ready by 7:50. Pansy commented the other day that 'for a beauxbatons, you get ready fast.' No idea what that's supposed to mean.

I was in the Great Hall at 8:15, reading one of the books I was given before I left France about Portkeys and Apparation, but as my reading has been the past week, it was interrupted by a bag being dropped on the seat next to mine. It was shifted by the owner, and replaced by Malfoy, who seemed deep in thought- as was I, about how I've constantly been disrupted- and soon enough, he was bothering me.

"Good morning, Crouch. What's got your frown out? Potter's antics? If so, I simply cannot leave a vulnerable girl susceptible to him, can I? He smirked at me. I wasn't even looking at him, I could just tell. He was slightly annoying, but this crossed the line. I am everything but vulnerable. I turned to face him.

"I'll have you know, I am perfectly fine, and if I wasn't, you don't need to be my knight in rusty armour, alright?" I snapped, collecting my stuff and beginning to stand. He stared blankly for a second before reacting.

"Tetchy this morning, I see. Bulstrode's snoring not let you sleep too much-" That was the last I really heard. He was too invested in his end of the conversation, he failed to notice I was walking away. The library was where I was headed. Besides, I needed to make a start on a Charms essay.

The library best suited me. It was of much better quality here at Hogwarts, and ultimately gave me immaculate vibes. Though after my interaction with Malfoy that day, it seemed as more of a refuge. I just done some skim reading on a herbology book that somebody had left on a table. Something about 'gillyweed' or whatever. But once again, I was interrupted.

"Ah, Miss Crouch. So lovely to see you." A soft voice said from behind me. Looking behind, Dumbledore stood with his hands behind his back, and then it hit me- THAT BLASTED LETTER. "Your father told me you had something to give to me is that correct?" He asked, with a smile. I remembered the letter was still in my robes after the day on the train. I dug it out and handed it to him. 

"There you are, Professor. I totally forgot I had it." I said with a tight smile. I always seem to be pulling tight uncomfy smiles.

"No problem, my dear. In fact, I'm glad I caught you. I have something that may interest you. I f you'd follow me?" What the hell? Was I about to get beheaded? I followed him out of the library, closing the book. What in the world could he be showing me?

Many staircases, sharp turns and long hallways later, he stopped at a wall. I made a note of where it was, but it seemed to just be a wall.

"Now, I have heard that you are quite the sportsperson from my letters from Miss Maxine, is that correct?" It really was. When I wasn't in school I danced. When I didn't dance, I played Quidditch. When I wasn't in the stadium, I ran or swam. This physique isn't easy to keep up, you know.

"Yes, sir. Not meaning to be rude in any manner, but why does this have anything to do with this wall?" He chuckled at my question.

"You see, I strived to put forth my talents in school, and as a Slytherin, I'd expect you would want to do the same. You will be familiar with the terms I am about to tell you about, Miss Crouch. The thing is, Hogwarts, like beauxbatons, has a room of requirement." I could feel my face light up. The many nights I spent in beauxbatons room of requirement were the best nights to date. "I felt obliged to tell you. I would like you to close your eyes as I summon it, there's somebody inside that I would like you to meet." He smiled and I closed my eyes, until I heard him open a door. It was black, with small silver pieces on it. Pretty extravagant if you ask me.

"Audrey, I would like you to meet Draco." Fuck right off. 

I walked in. The room was dark grey, with obvious fake windows with fake views. The room had a sofa suite inside, accompanied by a fire. Dark Oak furniture seemed to be the trend in here. He was perched on a bay window, with what looked like a... sketchpad? He got up, striding towards us, expressionless.

"Nice to meet you, Audrey." He smiled slightly, putting out a hand for me to shake.

"And you too, Draco." I smiled. This was weird. It was actually as if we had just met through a mutual friend, except he was our headmaster.

"I have brought you both here, you today, Audrey and Draco last week because I see great potential in the both of you. The both of you are passionate about your talents and I wouldn't like Hogwarts to hinder it." He kept on talking as me and him maintained eye contact. Talents? Didn't think Malfoy knew how to hold a pencil, never mind sketch. "Now, I would like you both to pay attention, especially you, Audrey." We both turned sideways on our heels facing him. What was going on now?

"Next week, the TriWizard tournament begins. We will be joined by Durmstrang and the Beauxbatons. Audrey, I am sorry to say that you would have to participate, if you chose to, for the Beauxbatons." Fuckety. I will not do such a thing. Laughable.

"But, Professor, isn't there an age restriction this year?" Draco asked. Thank god. If there is, I can't be expected to do it. For a sporty person, I was quite lazy. I say lazy- scared is the word. I've heard stories about what happens in the tournament, it's quite grotesque.

"Yes," Thank god, I thought, "For Hogwarts" When I tell you my heart dropped into my navel, I mean it. "Beauxbatons lowered the age restriction to encourage students to put their name in. Durmstrang also lowered theirs, no idea why. Any how, warning over. I shall leave you two to sort a schedule of ownership of the room, I do not intend on showing any other students." He smiled, tapped his nose. Instead of leaving through the door, he apparated.

"Putting your name in then, Crouch?" He said with a smirk as he turned and went back to sketching. I decided to sit on the sofa nearest

"Are you crazy? Of course I'm not. Unbelievably, I don't want to be killed." I giggled at him. For some reason, the thing at dinner had gone unspokenly forgiven. This atmosphere was different. This Draco was kind of different. He only laughed at me a little then.

"So, I heard him bashing on about our talents. Tell me, what do you do, Audrey?"

"Well, Draco, I dance a lot, and play Quidditch, but running and swimming tickle my fancy too. What about you?"

"Drawing. Maybe writing too. Putting things onto paper is satisfying. Like confirming it." He said. I didn't fully understand.

"What do you mean?"

"Confirming it. Drawing things brings the beauty out of them. Writing does too, but writing something requires explanation a purpose behind it. Plus, the darkness comes to light- exposure, I guess." God, he's philosophical.

"I understand, but does it get tedious at all?" Now, we were facing each other. 

"Sometimes I want to draw, but no inspiration comes to mind, which is annoying. What about you? Would it not be tedious to mess up a dance routine? I couldn't imagine doing it- why do you?" He seemed genuinely interested.

"An outlet, mostly. I dance to music I feel a connection to at the time, but it mostly is an outlet for any pain, but I dance a lot. Just... I don't really know how to explain. And, to answer the first question, you can't get it wrong. It was 'disgusting and disgraceful' to get it wrong." I said. I was very confused about what I had said, but he seemed to understand.

"Who said that, though? Surely, to succeed, you have to go wrong at some point?" He seemed absolutely fascinated, but this wasn't really anything to be fascinated by.

"If we went wrong, Madame Carrow wouldn't have it. It was usually a reasonable punishment, but just to my luck, she definitely had an absolute vendetta against me." He started laughing, but I wish I was bloody joking. "I'm bloody serious!" I giggled. "She once had me in hospital for three days, and when I came out, she called me idle for 'lazing in the infirmary.'" He only laughed more. It's so bloody ridiculous.

"Are you serious? I don't know if you are joking" He laughed. 

"I am. 100%. Look at what she carved into my arm last year." His smile faltered a bit, as if he was somewhat sad, or felt guilty for laughing. I lifted my robe sleeve, and on my wrist, the word "inutile."

He got up, grabbed my wrist, examining it.

"What does it mean? If you don't mind me asking." He looked at me, he looked bothered more than anything else.

"Useless"


	3. backwards sticks.

"Useless?" He asked, furrowing his brows. 

"Oh, of course. 'The most useless waste of oxygen she's ever met' apparently." I said, unbothered, honestly I knew I wasn't that useless. "Anyways, we have potions in five minutes." I deterred the conversation. Potions was a lesson I hadn't been in yet, but I had four lessons of it crammed into Thursdays and Fridays.

"Let's hope he's in a good mood."

\-----------------------------------------------------------

"Today. You will be learning the theory behind advanced potions. I trust that at least some of you won't drop potions like butter next year to sit in a charms class picking through your nose" His eyes scanned the room, but didn't at the same time. They'd scan, rest on a person, then rake the room again. We were all stood at the back, waiting for him to give us a seat. "Now," he turned a blackboard over, revealing names in rectangles that symbolised tables. "these are your partners for the year. Don't get along, that isn't a problem to be taken up with me, understood?"

Everybody rushed to the board, soon peeling away once they'd seen their seat.

"Lucky you, Crouch. You get to do my work for me" Draco smiled as he approached and signalled to a table in the very back corner. Hermione sat at THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM, so I couldn't even joke with her for comedic relief- she was sat next to Crabbe. That was what I tried to be at Beauxbatons- comedic relief. People found me funny, but it got me into lots of trouble.

The chairs all pulled out with squeaks and soon enough, everyone was sat down as Snape handed out the advanced potions text books. I had used these exact ones last year, so it shouldn't be too hard.

"Now, I would like you to go through this, in depth, and in your pairs, decide on 20 from the 100 to make over this academic year. I've decided to start the advanced section earlier for you, for your benefit." He swatted his hand in the air and sat down on his desk, signalling everybody to talk. Everybody opened their books and started talking, as did we.

"So, what will you be making on behalf of us this year?" He smirked as I opened the ever familiar book.

"Not quite sure, interesting ones I suppose. Last year, I made them all before I came here, so it shouldn't take too long and we won't have to re-try anything." I said, as my eyes skimmed over the contents page.

"How did you do them last year? We barely got to do any practical work last year" 

I explained to him, getting deja vu in the process. We settled on the potions, and began writing the method for the first one in our books- well I was telling him what to write. We decided to do a basic antidote first, just because it had little ingredients.

"Have you ever used the potions you made? We aren't really allowed to much" He looked over after he put his quill down.

"Yeah, we weren't either, but she didn't notice when I stole a vial or two. Once, my friend used Amortentia on our other friend, instead of brain elixir before a test. I made the brew, so she was looking at me throughout and tried to buy me a anklet afterwards."

"What do you mean, tried? You stopped her?" He almost laughed.

"I did, actually" I decided to joke instead of telling him that I didn't accept her anklet because it was too big for my small arse ankle. "I'm more of a ring girl, you see."

After that, the lesson went by pretty fast. I told him what to cross out in the book and what to add in. The books were completely unreliable. In the lesson after dinner, we aspired to have this done and to begin the first potion, but like everything I try to do it was interrupted.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Father sat there, next to Dumbledore's seat. He scanned the room with his eyes and they landed on me as he smiled subtly. I smiled back, feeling obliged. I broke eye contact as I tuned back in to what was being said at the front.

"Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event. The Tri-Wizard tournament. The tri-wizard tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests." Dumbledore's voice echoed through the great hall before dinner. I was sat opposite Draco, next to Pansy listening in. "Please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their headmistress Madam Maxime." 

I smiled immediately. They came fluttering in, classic Beauxbatons uniform, choreographed and everything. They stopped a few times as they skimmed through. Once, they stopped by me and I seen Rose. Her eye didn't catch me, but I made a mental note to definitely greet her and maybe hug her to death later on.

"You used to attend that? It's a wonder you don't ballet dance to Charms every day!" Pansy said across the table, making us laugh.

Madam Maxine came in, who did see me. She stopped at my seat and leaned down, holding my hand.

"My darling, it's lovely to see you" She smiled and hugged me. We spent many an afternoon in her office after I was sent out for no reason. She always stuck up for me against Farrow, which I'll be forever grateful for.

"I'll come and say hello later." I nodded and she kept walking to Dumbledore. 

"And now our friends from the north, please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and the high master Igor Karkaroff."

What the fuck. Everybody looked in awe at their stick waving. Personally, I thought it looked kind of backwards. They grunted as they done it as well. I'm sure it looked cool to others, but I just remember feeling odd about it, perhaps threatened.

The headmaster and a man, who I instantly recognised as Viktor Krum, stomped in and greeted Dumbledore. Dumbledore then goes into some speech about eternal glory and whatnot, so I happily zoned out until the sound of thunder struck my ears.

A sharp bolt came from a wand in the corner. The man holding it was stocky and had a trench coat on. But what was most noticeable was his eye. It was in some sort of fixture, and it moved as if it were a normal eye.

My father rose from his seat, coming to the front.

"Daddy needs a word, does he Audrey?" Blaise. I despise him. Yeah, he cracked a good joke here and there but in all truth, I couldn't stand him on a good day.

"Fuck off, Blaise" I narrowed my eyes. I'm sure he felt the same, as he scowled.

"After much deliberation the ministry has concluded that schools shall put forth an age restriction regarding their own students. The ministry has also declared that you may only enter your name on behalf of a school if you have attended for over two years. This decision is final. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang have been informed, however Hogwarts students- anybody under the age of 17 may not participate." 

The hall erupted into 'boo' and just general anger.

"SILENCE" Dumbledore's voice echoes yet again. Father retired back to his seat and Dumbledore spoke of the Goblet, which he revealed to us. It glowed with a blue flame, which enticed everybody. "Anyone wishing to submit themselves for the tournament merely write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this hour on Thursday night. Do not do so lightly, if chosen there's no turning back. As from this moment the tri-wizard tournament has begun."


	4. skeleton scare.

Dinner was, as always, yummy. I was quite a thin person because of the amount of sport I do. I usually ate a lot at dinner times for my metabolism to jab at in my sleep, and a decent breakfast to start the day. Other than that, I ate next to nothing during the day itself. However, that night, I didn't eat much come dinner time. I was too busy thinking about my friends. Will they hate me for moving away? Are they pleased to be rid of me? I had to know.

"Miss Crouch," I heard from behind me. I turned to see Mr Filch holding Mrs Norris, bent over scowling at me. "Professor Dumbledore would like to speak with you outside after dinner. He's asked me to request you to tell me your next lesson." He creeped me out completely. 

"Potions" I said, just wishing he would get lost. He hobbled to the front, whispering to Professor Dumbledore. I turned back, seeing Malfoy looking at me.

"You better not be missing potions, Crouch. I need free labour" He said, a hint of something I can't quite tell what in his voice.

"Malfoy, if you wanted labour, I would suggest asking someone who cares, because I certainly cannot be bothered slaving making you an antidote. To be honest, I already have my AP grade." Honestly, all I wanted to do was go to Rose.

"Not so happy now that headmaster wants to speak to you, are we? Telling daddy on us, do you reckon Draco?" Blaise butted in again. Before Malfoy could respond, I got up, heading towards Hermione, Ron and Harry. I sat next to Harry, rubbing my eyes. I'm too bloody tired nowadays.

"Come for refuge, I see?" Hermione giggled.

"Of course I have. I don't know what's worse about Hogwarts- Bulstrode's snoring or Zabini's incessant need to comment on everything he sees" I complain, Harry sending me looks of almost sympathy, but his amused smile gave him away.

"I wouldn't pay much attention to Blaise, he's so out of touch in the head that he fancies Pansy" Ron commented, making us erupt into giggles.

"Audrey?" Harry turned to me, "Do you know who that man is? In the trench coat? Ron said he's Mad Eye Moody, but have you met him?" He asked.

"He used to be an auror. They say half of Azkaban are there because of him." I say, Ron added to it.

"Yeah, but people say he's barking mad nowadays." He says, looking around very suspiciously. No wonder they get into the trouble they tell me about. 

Everybody soon starts to disappear, as does the food, signalling that dinner is over. There I stood, outside waiting for Dumbledore when Malfoy walked up to me. He looked around before speaking, which I deemed suspicious.

"Would just like to say that even though I'm capable of making perfectly brewed potions, I appreciated the help in the lesson earlier." I was absolutely taken back. A Malfoy- showing gratitude? Never thought anybody would see the day.

"No problem, and I would like to say that although I'm perfectly capable of leaving you to do it yourself, I will help. And that I'm sorry for snapping earlier." I looked down, partially afraid to meet his eyes. I was never any good at apologies and it definitely showed every time I tried.

"Fantastic. And anyways, I'd like to ask you about the Room of Requirement." He put his hands in his pockets. At this point, it was just us standing beside the large doors, all the teachers and whatnot inside still. From the corner of my eye, I could see Moody eyeing us up before leaving through the door at the top of the hall.

"What about it? I haven't really thought about it to be honest." 

"I was going to suggest taking turns and whatnot, but it's whatever, I'm not all that fussed" Honestly, wasn't too sure on what to say.

"Well, you could tell me when you don't intend on using it and I'll use it if you would like." I suggested.

"I would take that advantage, but Dumbledore said that I must share, you see." What a snarky get. 

Just as I was about to reply, my father stepped out of the hall. This was a moment I can't fully describe. He seen us and his eyes flooded with what I can only describe as fear. It felt uneasy.

"We will talk more later. Antidotes won't make themselves." Malfoy said as he turned to head back to Snape's classroom.

"Not so fast, Mr Malfoy" Dumbledore said from the doorway of the hall. My father stepped closer to me, standing with me. "I'm sure Advanced Potions should be proven difficult without help. I informed Professor Snape that should you not like to accompany Miss Crouch to reacquaint herself with her old friends, you will have the rest of the evening off." Draco smirked and thanked him. "If you wish to do the latter, you need not meet us in the Hall in the west wing in a half hour."

Draco nodded, disappearing round a corner. The hall in the west wing?

"Now, Madam Maxine has requested that you change to civilian clothes. She wants you to change and go to the West Wing hall." He said to me gently. What was happening? I turned to go to the dorm as my father and him spoke in whispers as I left.

After about two left turns, I was scared out of my skeleton by Draco standing in a door way.

"What are you doing? You could have given me a heart attack!" I whisper-shouted.

"Scaring you. Maybe waiting for you to tell me what's going on." He said, laughing faintly. He touched my shoulder in an attempt to settle me.

"I'm assuming that she wants me to meet up with them. You can do whatever you want. If you came with me, you'd just be watching us take the piss, to be quite honest." I shrugged. I was kind of hoping he didn't come, because knowing them, they would want to dance for a while.

"Perhaps I will, see how much Dumbledore lied about when he said you have friends." He smirked at me, causing me to furrow my brows.

"Whatever." I laughed it off. We got to the common room and I soon changed into leggings and a hoodie- a staple attire for a person like myself. He sat in the common room as I came from the hallway.

"Art thou ready?" he turned at the sound of my voice.

"I guess" He stood, straightening his black jumper. He wore all black- did he think he was attending my funeral? Little did I know, he might as well have been.


	5. predator.

-DRACO-

The headmistress of the other school stopped us just before we were getting to the hall, telling me to go ahead of her. To be honest, the sooner I could sit down the better. Pansy kicked my shin after Audrey stormed off at dinner.

Walking in, Beauxbatons girls were in the top corner, some turned and blushed at me. Wonder if they got action over there? Maybe they did because they swayed a certain way? Who knows.

Dumbledore and Audrey's dad sat in on a bench, next to the door. I didn't notice them until I turned. Dumbledore waved, then continued talking to Barty- I think his name was.

To my right, there were two benches and three problems. The three problems being Potter, Weasley and Granger.

"Oh, what are you doing here, Malfoy!?" Weasley twined, as if I was the pain in the arse in the room.

"Could ask you the same thing. Dumbledore invited me on Audrey's behalf. What are you blood traitors doing in here?" I spat. I really hated them to shit.

"Professor Dumbledore invited us too, actually. Though, I'm sure we aren't just here to miss class or avoid sitting on our lonesome." Granger said, face scrunched and everything.

"I'll have you know that Crouch and I are pleasant friends. I didn't have to rope her into my clique on the train here." I said. Honestly why the fuck were they here? Granger is too irritating, Weasley is too much of a Weasley and Potter eyes her up all the time. Not like I should care, but his eyes should really stay in their sockets instead of on her plump lips, really. It's just common human decency.

They didn't have time to reply, as the doors opened and Maxine and Audrey made an appearance, but something was off. I sat down on the bench below those three. She looked frustrated, or sad. What was going on?

The other girls flooded to her, trying to embrace her or at least greet her, but they all seem to speak or move at once so the point was defeated, really.

I heard 'are you alright' and 'I hope you'll be okay' from numerous girls around and then a faint 'it will be okay.'

I was deeply confused, but their elegant dispersal distracted me as they separated into groups of three or four, but she was still there. Another girl was hugging her in silence as they stood with their eyes closed smiling to themselves. This must be her vial stealing best friend she told me about. They separated and she jokingly kissed her hand.

"Nice to know you're still a polite gentleman, Rose" she said. Soon, she turned and seen us, small sparks of shock seeing us four sat together, not tearing each other apart with stupid spells. She walked over a little, and javelin-threw her wand at us. Stupid Potter caught it, giving her a stupid smile. Ulgh he grinded my gears. He handed it to me. I'd never seen it before. It was long, thin and had a sharp, prism-like sapphire on the bottom. Nice to know her inner essence was tasteful.

She looked away as Rose spoke again.

"So, what are you going to do then? I'll bet she'll say something." Her friend spoke with concern, as if she was her mother.

"If she is civil with me, I'll be civil with her, but you know how she can be." Audrey smirked and turned to us again, removing her hoodie and her shoes. She wore a baggy yellow t-shirt underneath and unusually thick socks. She threw all three at us, I caught her small shoes and Weasley caught her hoodie just before it could land on my head. 

Dumbledore looked at her, almost proudly. Audrey had told me that she knew him for a long time, and when he spoke to her he seemed to know her very well, which is odd seeing as she can keep to herself quite a bit. In class, she does not say a single word unless there's other people talking to cancel out the noise. She never puts her hand up, she never makes a comment and she hasn't got into any trouble- must be why Granger likes her. Now, here, she seemed different. As if she suddenly became comfortable and familiar.

Her dad, though, looked questioningly. She barely spoke about him to us. She was quite the mystery.

"You think she will actually say something on Thursday?"

"Dunno to be honest." Audrey looked at the other girls who were engrossed in their own conversation and turned. Only then, did she notice Dumbledore and her father in the corner. Her back was to me, so I could only see her wave.

"Are you putting your name in the cup? I'm seriously considering, seeing as I got my fitness grade up last year." 

"As if I'm putting my name in there. Even if I wanted to, Carrow would see to it that any chance of glory or happiness I had was obliterated, even if she suggested it." Audrey laughed softly.

"So, who are they?" Rose addressed to us and the two of them started walking over.

"That's Hermione, Ron and Harry. I first met them when I got onto the train. That's Draco, he's in my house." 

'In my house'! Is that the only introduction I get?

"This is Rose Greengrass. My best friend." Audrey said quite shyly towards us. What's the problem with her and speaking to us as a group?

The doors re-opened just as she was about to speak, and Rose grabbed her putting her hands over Audrey's eyes. She led her to the centre of the hall, keeping her faced away from the door.

"What's going on?" She asked. Yeah, what is going on? she remained there, still facing the wall when Maxine came behind her with a plaque. What is actually going on? Mr Crouch seemed to shift in his seat, as he suddenly became more interested.

"My darling, I know that you have left, but I never got to tell you how much you done for me and the girls. If it weren't for you last year, our quidditch set would not have pulled through. Now, please face me," Maxine spoke to her softly. She turned and seen the plaque and her eyes lit up like child's on Christmas. Although, it wasn't happiness behind them. She looked like a predator who's just lay eyes on it's prey. 

"I thought it would only be right to accept the winning plaque and give it to you, our Seeker." She smiled and Audrey held her hands out, accepting it as it was placed in her hands. The girls and the three dimwits behind me clapped. I couldn't. I was in awe of the look she gave that plaque. "We were going to give it to you on awards day at the beginning of the year, but you were here."

"Anyways, it's not like Audrey to go home empty-handed on awards day." Rose said as the girls surrounded her.

"Come on, we didn't come to gush at a piece of metal, did we?" Audrey walked over, placing the it on the seat next to me, giving me a sincere smile. I returned it, looking back at the plaque, indicating that I was impressed. She . AUDREY JANE CROUCH it read. Jane. Her mother's name, was it not? Why am I thinking about the etymology of her middle name?

"Draco, please can I have my wand?" This took me out of my trance.

I fumbled in my inside pocket, giving it to her. She held it elegantly, her feminine hands framing the wand. Why am I thinking about her feminine hands? 

The truth is, I'd been thinking about her more than I'd like to admit. I had only known her for four days and I tell you, I'm hooked. I didn't know if it was her mystery, her personality or her background. Maybe a bit of her looks too, but that is besides the point.

Again, I was too distracted to register what was going on. She cast some sort of spell, which had no effect immediately, until music faded into the room. It was nice to listen to. Soft piano. It must have been a muggle piece because I had never heard it.

Suddenly, their bodies moved as one, as if controlled. I looked to Audrey, who wasn't too far from me to be fair, and she stood out. Compared to her, everyone looked like they were putting no effort in, however she looked effortless at the same time.

"What's this song?" Granger asked, leaning towards me so I could hear over the music.

"How would I know? I don't play much muggle music," I replied. Usually, I'd follow it up with an insult but the way she moved was distracting. It was amazing, but also shocking. I didn't know a human could bend that much. She was literally bending over backwards, hip bones protruding.

To my right, I seen Mr Crouch leave the room, then Audrey's posture weakened slightly. I get it now. Daddy Issues.

Soon enough, they had been dancing for about 40 minutes, until the music abruptly stopped.

"Sorry guys, I'm very tired." Audrey said. She must have used a minding music spell, so that the music played on her brain's command.

"Audrey Jane, tired? What happened to Audrey Jane sneaking into Normandy at 1 in the morning on a Thursday?" One of the girls said. Potter gasped, laughing confusedly. God, I hated him.

"Bloody hell, Audrey a Thursday?" Weasley added.

"Oh, has she not told you about her secret rendezvous with alcohol sellers at holy hours?" Audrey was walking over to us, looking at the ground and smirking. Alcohol sellers?

"Certainly not! Audrey is this true?" Granger smiled. Thought she was one to condemn mischief, never mind condoning midnight rendezvous. She looked from the ground, straight at me. I raised my eyebrows, clearly waiting for an answer.

"Alright, when you put it like that, it sounds really bad. All I wanted was to go into Normandy for some muggle drink, alright? This woman gave me it-" She started laughing and so did some of the others. What was she about to say? "- and it was spiked. Like really bad." I waited till the laughing calmed down before saying something.

"And here we were, think you were quiet, innocent Audrey. Little did we know, you meet dealers in the night. You're a bad one, Crouch." I said jokingly.

"Innocent? Audrey? Never made any correlations." Rose expressed, making all of us 4 raise our brows, smirking as not so innocent little Audrey collected her things, preparing to leave.

"Suck my cock, Rose." Audrey smiled, as she signalled that we follow her out. Now, she really looked tired. We separated after leaving the hall, the girls going one way and us 5 going another.

Potter walked next to Audrey, making my gears grind. I watched from behind them as he looked at her when she wasn't looking. But, Potter had no idea that I had the best view- from behind.


	6. on my knees.

"Oh, apologies. Must have got my days mixed up."

I stopped, mid-dance. The room of requirement, like that day, provided me much comfort and freedom. But, as everything seems to go, I was interrupted by Malfoy. He 'gets his days mixed up' a lot nowadays. He told me he was forgetful, but it seems uncoincidental that when he does 'get his days mixed up,' he knows that I don't have the heart to tell him that he can't sit on the bay window and draw, or write. Certainly not suspicious that he doesn't let me see what he draws or writes either.

"It's okay, do you have a free too?" I asked. I have two free lessons, meaning I can shower after this.

"Yeah, I have this and the next lesson free. Was just gonna write in my book, but if you feel disturbed, I can always come another time." He didn't even look sorry, which amused me.

"No, not at all. Come in." I laughed.

I recollected myself. Recently, I've been craving a swim, but the Black Lake will be very cold and I don't fancy a snotty nose.

"What shitty muggle music are you flouncing around at today?"

He very much liked to poke fun at me for dancing to 'muggle music' and for being friends with Harry, Hermione and Ron. Most of the time, I brushed it off, thinking he didn't think when he spoke, but some of that shit could be hurtful if you didn't have a thick skin. He did have a tendency to change his demeanour when talking to me around my friends. We agreed not to tell anybody about where we go in our free time. He was very dramatic about it, as if we were Romeo and Juliet. I honestly couldn't care any less. But that's just me.

Now though, he seemed remotely in a good, jokey mood. I rolled my eyes at his comment, turning to my notes. Me and Rose wrote things down a lot, for each other to practice, and that day was no different. 

The room was large. The floors were wooden, with paintings all over the wall, all signed 'D.M.' One wall was all mirror which was helpful. It was rectangular, and at one end there was a set of sofas and chairs, all black. The walls were dark grey and the floors were mahogany. Draco had told me that the room was made up in his mind, which makes sense. This is his essence. There was lots of light coming from the fake window, which looked displaced, because surely a room so morbidly decorated should be dark, right?

Soon enough, my notes were refined for Rose, which I tore out of the book and set it on the coffee table over by the sofas, picking up the page Rose gave to me the other day.

Oh Lord in heaven.

My eyes widened. Rose must be a lonely gal right now. I knew this song. '34+35' by Ariana Grande. Today was the only day I could try it. We literally swore with a bloody spell and everything two years ago that no matter the circumstances, we try them. Fuck. I was such a naive 12 year old.

"Shit" I accidentally let out. I covered my mouth, reading the descriptions. The section was literally like 15 seconds long, in the centre of the song. Then, it hit me. Sad boy Rose compiled this in her spare time. I laughed slightly, trying to concentrate to get the song to play into the room, soon enough succeeding. 

Turning around, I seen that Draco looked unphased, drawing- until the lyric 'just give me them babies,' which sent him to a little laughter.

"Didn't know you felt that way, Crouch. Of course, I will comply if you're desperate, but I'm taking n-" He stopped after I started laughing. Oh my god, get your ego in check. Without realising, the song had come up to the part, so I scurried to the floor. It did not help my case that it started with 'baby, you might need a seatbelt when I ride it,' followed by a demonstration.

The whole 15 seconds, I felt his eyes on me. I finished, lying on the floor. I turned my head in his direction, panting a bit. Of course, he sat there with a smirk plastered on his face. Rolling my eyes, I peeled myself from the ground, deciding to call it a day. My hoodie and shoes were at the sofas, meaning I was facing away from him, but I still felt his eyes in the back of my neck.

I heard rustling, followed by his footsteps coming closer to me, which just intimidated me. My wrist was grabbed, and he turned me around with ease, his face mere centimetres from mine. His breath was cold against my face, strongly smelling of mint. His eyes bore into my hooded, tired ones and his hand was still tightly around my wrist.

"Do you dance like that in front of all of your little boyfriends, or was that a treat for me?" He seethed. He looked angry, lustful and angry. Not gonna lie, got me a little wet. His hand trailed from my hip to my waist, back down, back up, sending shivers climbing up my spine. My eyes were wide, I had no idea what to say. What was he doing? Getting closer, that's what he was doing. Only knew that cause I felt something that wasn't his leg on my leg. "Answer me, now!" He shouted, gripping my wrist tighter.

I stuttered.

"I- I don't know. Erm-"

"What did I say just now? It seems to me like you didn't hear me. I said ANSWER ME NOW!" He shouted through gritted teeth, grabbing my neck with his free hand. Might I add right now, that I was wet, severely turned on. There was a vein coming out of his head, near his temple that trailed to his hungry grey eyes.

"NO I DON'T" I shouted back, getting up in his face. I really don't think he appreciated the attitude. Now I was basically sat backward on the sofa arm, his hand on my throat and his other tightly around my wrist.

"What makes you think that you can shout at me?" He seethed again. He definitely didn't appreciate the attitude.

It seemed to happen all of a sudden. He pushed me backwards, so I was lying on the sofa, him climbing over the arm. I crawled back until I reached the other arm and he pounced on top of me. His lips met mine, and I'll tell you right now that it was phenomenal. His tongue dominated my mouth, gliding against my tongue and seemingly on an exploration. Until he pulled away.

"On the fucking floor. Dirty whores like you should be on your knees, don't you think?" I had absolutely no words, just subconscious nodding and proceeding to sit in front of him as he sat, legs spread apart, leaning towards me. His face was one again, very close to mine. His elbows rested on his knees as he observed the ever-present submission in my face. "Suck daddy's cock." 

Didn't need to tell me twice. I hadn't had any action since I was in France. Fuck that.

My hands, straight away, delved into unbuckling his belt. He leaned back on the sofa, hands lay by the sides of his legs, ready to push him up when I took his pants down. They pooled at his feet, along with his boxers, leaving his length standing tall against his torso. May I re-iterate the word tall.

"Eager, are we? Course you-" He stopped as stuck my tongue out, circling his tip. I felt powerful for a couple of seconds, silencing him- until he gathered my hair in his fist, pushing me downward. I was basically forced to open wider, as he shoved as much of himself into my mouth as possible. I had to grasp the remainder with my hand, as I took matters into my own. I started bobbing my head up and down, which I think he appreciated because he loosened his grip on my hair, grunting. He murmured various things, praising me, which turned me on.

My pace fluctuated throughout, which was a great stamina method to be honest. My arms were over his legs, as I put my best efforts in. I have no idea what got over me.

Soon enough, he came. Warm spurts shot into my mouth as he groaned. I took my mouth off, wiping the corners. I was absolutely fucked. What just happened? 

I decided that the only thing to do was to leave. He was still coming down, so I thought I'd get my stuff. He had different ideas.

"Oi. Where do you think you're going?" He panted "Give me amazing head then just up and leave? Don't think so, Princess." Princess.

"I'm quite tired to be honest, and I thought it best to leave you be." I was looking at the floor. Anxious thoughts rushed over me. What if he tells someone? What if he doesn't want to speak to me anymore? His pants were kicked off, so I could easily just run away.

"Leave me be? Last time I checked, favours are to be returned, don't you think, Princess?" Again, Princess. What the fuck was going on? Anyways, I was done being anxious.

"There's only an hour and a half till Potions. I don't think you'll do it in time for me to shower beforehand, so I will be on my way." I tried to turn on my heel, but was soon spun back around by him. His other hand found my other forearm, as he backed me into the sofa. Fuck, it made me wet.

My knees came into contact with the seat, instantly buckling. His hands resided to either sides of my legs, closing in a little. I crossed them out of habit.

"I think that somebody needs to put back in line, cause I don't tolerate tones like that." His eyes examined my legs. I only had shorts on, and he ran his pointer finger up and down my thigh, giving me butterflies. "What do you think? I think that naughty girls need punishing. And right now, you're the naughtiest of them all." I could have creamed right there. Nobody had ever spoken to me like that.

I stomped my foot onto his, shaking my head. I knew how to play 'bratty bitch'- it was almost type-cast.

My face stung, as his hand came to my cheek.

"You're only proving me right." His large hand pried my legs apart, and he pulled my shorts off. "Out of character for a slut to have her legs shut, don't you think?" His cock was hard again, instantly making me nervous, looking at it. He grabbed my chin, making my eyes meet his. "Don't worry, Princess. Daddy will make sure it all fits."

His thumb drew circles on my clothed clit, making me shudder, evoking a hum from myself.

His hand pulled away and I whined, earning me a hard slap on my thigh.

"Did I say you deserved to make any noise, slut?" He seethed, god it was sexy.

"No, Daddy." What was coming over me? I had only fantasised about stuff like this. My boyfriends in the past weren't as assertive, and even then I only done things like this with boyfriends.

"That's what I thought," he slapped my thigh twice, softly this time "up, up. Over my knee." His eyes absolutely burned into mine, that feeling of obligation coming over me. He sat beside where I was as I was standing, but it seems I took too long. He'd managed to hook his foot in to kick the back of my knee, giving me jelly legs. From there, he made putting me belly-down across his knees an easy job.

He pulled my shirt up, revealing my behind. He stroked it, caressed almost. Fear mixed with arousal bubbled in my stomach as he spoke to me quietly, just loud enough for me to hear.

"You know, darling, I've been trying to banish my thoughts about you over the past week. But with this arse, I don't know how I could have." He spoke contently, which shook me a bit. Why was he saying this? "I'd like you to know that this is mine, you see. And I'm sure that you'll know that nobody touches what's mine, don't you?" He addressed my body as his. Not sure how I felt on that one, but it turned me on nonetheless. His hands continued to wander my ass and neck, until they didn't. 

Until he stopped.

Until my ass had a hand-shaped stinging pain going through it. Once, twice, three times. I whimpered- he slapped it hard. The ripping of my underwear was very much audible soon after, and before I could recollect myself, two digits penetrated my aching cunt, making me moan a little. 

His other hand came down on my bum again, giving me a stern telling to 'shut up, slut'. His fingers came from my heat, making me whine at the loss of touch till he turned me, making me sit up on his lap, legs either side of his.

"You gonna be a good girl and ride me?" I was so turned on to turn down the offer, nodding with an innocent smile. "Good girl. Maybe I'll let you cum." He hummed into my neck, leaving love bites.

I readjusted, so that his tip was at my entrance. He leaned back into the sofa, giving me space.

"Tease yourself, darling." Dominance dripped from his voice and I began to rub his tip slowly against my clit and folds. It was more pleasuring than teasing, until I started weakly pushing down, so only the tip actually went in. His hands were on my hips, guiding me. Really, he controlled the amount I got then and there. His fingers dug in and his hips raised, slamming into me, fully. The short pain subsided, as I moaned, my face falling to the crook of his neck.

"Up. Now. I want you from behind- get over the sofa arm. I want to see your arse cheeks pop." I stood, on shaky legs, walking around and bending over the sofa arm, him on my trail.

He wasted no time re-inserting himself. His thrusts were fast, hard and our moans filled the room, along with the sound of skin slapping against skin.

"So. Fucking. Tight." He iterated between thrusts. He hit the right nerves every time.

"Does baby want to cum all over my cock?" he said through gritted teeth. I could only muster a short 'please', as his pace became inhuman. He bent down, slowing his pace so that his mouth was by my ear, "Do it, slut. Now"

He sent me over the edge, my walls clenching around him. I came down, instantly sensitive. 

He pulled out swiftly after a couple more thrusts, grabbing my hand. I was turned around, gripped my the mouth while he finished into my mouth with a grunt.

"Stay." he said sternly, looking down at me. At this point, I was on the floor, on my knees. He walked over to the front of the sofa to put his pants on, before returning with my clothes, giving them to me. 

"Dress yourself. I don't want any attitude about it." He pointed his finger, jaw clenched. I felt like I was put into place. I wasn't prepared to step out of line again, not today at least. 

"Can I ask a question?" I felt a sudden surge of bravery.

"You just did." He smirked, hands in pockets as he watched me tuck my t-shirt into my shorts to my liking.

"You get what I mean, but when you said that I belonged to you, did you-" He interrupted me before I could think of what to say.

"Mean it? Yes." His demeanour returned, his hands finding my sore wrists once again "and if I catch anybody touching what's mine, I'll put them in their place. Hear me?" Seeing as I was quite short, he towered over me. I nodded before he turned, facing my side. "Off now, you should shower, filthy girl." his hand smacked my bum again, signalling that I followed him out.

He led me to the dungeons, mostly in silence. I stole glances at him, him doing the same, all the time in my mind I was thinking; what has just occurred?


	7. left to rot.

After Draco and I's encounter, I showered before Potions. I was already exhausted and I had to pull through for the TriWizard announcement later on.

Double potions really dragged as well. Especially when nothing is new. However, me and Malfoy seemed to get the work done alright. Last week was an antidote, this week was Amortentia. Yes, a love potion. 

The brewing for amortentia is always difficult, so obviously nobody else was inclined to choose it. 

I stirred it as it bubbled- red, heart shaped ones. Here's where everyone came over to smell it. In beauxbatons, everybody's perception of the scent wasn't recognisable as people we knew, so we couldn't really gossip about anything- this was not the case.

"I smell new parchment, freshly mown grass, and spearmint toothpaste." Hermione said, slightly embarrassed. I don't think anyone caught on. I knew it was Ron. He just gave off that vibe, if you get what I mean. "What about you, Ron?"

"Um... like book spines, if that makes sense? Fresh Cotton and earl gray tea." I see mutual feelings arising. Good for them.

Harry stepped over, smelling the brew.

"Come on then, give us the intel!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Spiced apples," like the candle in my room? "Roses" like my shampoo? "and umm like raspberry ripple uh, ice cream." What? You mean my favourite flavour. Shit on it. Hermione had already lost interest and walked away, leaving me with Harry and Ron, until a familiar voice butted in.

"I heard ice cream, Potter. You after Bulstrode then?" Draco butted in. He had been behaving himself, talking with his friends while people sniffed the potion he watched me make- and I mean watched. 

"Why don't you give it a smell, Malfoy? Trust that you'd smell Pansy's greasy hair, or would it be her sweaty armpits?" Ron joked. Draco's fists clenched. It was only a joke- he wound them up all of the time.

"I suggest you tell me what you've smelled beforehand, but I already know that you drool over Mudblood over there. I'd also suggest that you sit back down." He glanced up at Ron's seat "Lavendar looks eager to have you back, don't you think?" Ron pulled a disgusted face, as he should. The 'mudblood' comment really wasn't necessary. They both peeled away, scowling.

"Was there really any need?" I asked.

"There's always a need. Have you smelled yet?" He asked, diverting the conversation. I rolled my eyes, giving the potion another smell.

"Don't smell anything." I said, straight faced.

"Absolutely nothing? Hm, must be badly brewed. Must be why you can't smell me." He joked. If only he knew. Once I smelled the potion, my heart dropped to my stomach. The truth is, I had smelled mints, cologne and pencil shavings. It had to be him. It was a bit much to think about, to be honest. Not to mention, Harry's sounded a lot like me. He gave it a smell, raising his brows. If he knew what I smelled, it would only feed his ego, considering what had happened not even two hours ago.

"Weirdly flowery. A little fruity too, like Christmassy apples." He looked confused, until his eyes widened as he looked into the distance, a smirk slowly growing. Fuck. Flowery and Fruity? Sounds a bit like what Harry described. "Now, I smell nothing." What? Disappearance? Never heard of that before.

"Sounds g-" I was interrupted by a sudden swing of the door, Moody entering.

"Mind if I borrow Miss Crouch, Professor?" He croaked. Professor Moody was a decent teacher, but he made Neville a bit shaken last week after he done a cruciatus curse. Draco sent me a funny look, which I returned.

"I would say so." I cleared my things, walking to the front and giving him my book. "Be back for the lesson after dinner. I cannot repeat myself because of silly absences." He said, monotone. I just nodded, not wanting to say much.

I followed Moody out. For some weird reason, we walked in absolute silence to his room upstairs.

He swung the door open, holding it for me as I followed him inside, bag clutched tight in my hands. I had a really bad feeling. Rightfully so, as the door slammed, sending a draft to the back of my neck, giving me shivers. 

Professor Moody hobbled over the room, perching on a chair. He removed his prosthetic leg, which made me weirded out a little.

"Not to be rude, Professor, but why exactly did you bring me here?" I asked, looking around at his shelves. He seemed to have lots of weird artefacts, and lots of bottles.

"There's no need to call me Professor, Audrey. I think we know each other all to well." He stated, plainly. His voice seemed raspier, less put together than usual. How could we know each other? I only met him two weeks ago.

"Professor, you must be mistaken. I've never really met you until a couple of weeks ago." I was still so engrossed at the questionable aesthetic of the room decor. Bottles lay everywhere, papers too and a large, heavy looking chest lay in the corner. Harry had told me that it screamed and shook when he was in here last, making me nervous.

"Oh, but I'm not. We are closer than you think, Miss Crouch." He said, voice still very unsteady.

I was still faced away, which was probably for the worst at the time. 

"How so, Professor? We've barely met." I turned. When I tell you that everything went into slow-motion, trust and believe it did.

There he was. Moody's clothes and all. Polyjuice. That's what the bottles were. 

Barty.

My hand shot to cover my mouth. My head felt light. Was I breathing? Clearly not enough.

"Inhale, exhale, repeat- as Mother said." he looked me dead in the eye, smirking. This could not be happening.

"Barty what the hell are you doing in here? In the castle? Do you know what will happen if they find you? Father is in the bloody castle! What the fuck is going on!? How did you break off his imperius? How did you get out of the house?" I rambled. I needed an explanation- fast.

"I needed to find you. I needed to tell you the truth ab- about what happened to Mother." He looked at me with pleading eyes. Was he trying to gain my trust? What did he want?

"What truth is there to tell? She got you out, died, got cremated, got scattered. Seems pretty fucking normal to me, Barty! Why should I believe what you have to say?" Tears slowly rolled down my face. Thinking about my mother was hard. She was very good to us growing up, and I miss her dearly. 

"Because, Duckling, this is the truth!" He exclaimed. Duckling. She used to call me that. 

"Barty I don't know if I can believe you." He seemed disheartened, as if he was going to give up. The room was silent for a few moments. Tense.

"She's at Azkaban." He said, softly. I almost didn't hear him.

"What? No. She's dea-"

"I bloody know she's dead, Audrey!" He seethed. I think he was getting sick of trying, yet he continued. He always had a temper about himself. Tears were rolling down my face. This was all a bit much for a Thursday afternoon.

"I don't understand." I was now sat on the stool adjacent to his chair, sobbing into my hands.

"Of course you don't. You weren't told otherwise. He didn't tell you how much of a foul creature he is." He looked so angry.

"Who? Who hasn't told me what?"

"He left her to fucking rot, Audrey. She died there and he was 'too busy' to get her body. Don't you see? Father fucking left her!" He was shouting, kicking things- the chest shouted and shook. My tears no longer flowed. I looked to Barty, as he kicked the chest once, twice, three times.

"How can I believe you?" I asked, immediately regretting it. He turned quickly, stomping over, pointing his wand at me.

"Tell me, Audrey. Have you ever seen an urn? A single piece of ash? Not even an invitation to the crematorium?" It all fit. Everything made sense. I hadn't seen anything, any evidence. "She's in the north fucking sea, rotting. They threw her in after a week of no tending to. They fucking threw her into the sea. Do you still want to skip off that train come summer time and go home with him? Oh, that's right- he's barely there. Why? Same reason he left her. Work, work, work Audrey!" He was seething with rage- as was I. He let go, after I had my realisation, the room turning back to silence, as he repaired the things he broke with his wand.

My mother's dying wish was for Barty to be out of prison. She wanted it, so much so that she replaced him in Azkaban by polyjuice potion. That was four years ago. Father had been hiding Barty under an imperius curse in the house ever since- until he disappeared a little over a year ago, that is. Everybody thought he was dead- my mother too. Man on the street thinks she died from 'chronic, serious illness', which is technically true, but just in Azkaban, according to Barty.

"Why do you think he doesn't talk to you, Audrey?" He looked at me and I felt obliged to think about the question, as if I had never asked myself why my own Father won't speak to me.

"I don't know. Once, he told me that I was too much like you, told me it was something he was ashamed of." I just looked at the floor.

"You look just like her. Mother, that is." The room silenced again for a minute as my gaze met his as he nodded. "He's guilty- just as he should be. I'm gonna make him pay, Audrey. He's gonna fucking pay for what he did- regardless of what happens to me."


	8. flying paper.

Diary,

Watching her saunter up the girl's hallway plagued me with guilt. She has no idea what can of worms she's just opened. Well, she's oblivious in general. Oh Audrey, if you knew what I knew about you. I shouldn't have touched her, but lust got the better of me. I called her body 'mine'. Objectifying her. She liked it. Why? Perhaps because nobody called her theirs? But, nevertheless, she certainly is mine. She doesn't know so. Intel is like a hangman. Innocent and guilty. Right now, I have bloody hangman's hands, but my hands are her best friends, as proven today. Wonder if they'll acquaint themselves again. I don't wonder, actually. I know they will. She's mine.

Yours insincerely, 

D.L.M

\-------------------------------------------------

What Barty had said to me had stuck with me as I sat on the table in the Great Hall. I felt odd, sat at the Beauxbatons table wearing my Hogwarts uniform, but we move.

I was fucking exhausted. Why did I have sex with Malfoy after getting a pathetic night's sleep? Blaming Millicent always.

Everyone was piled into the Great Hall once again, and I could see the trio sat with Fred and George at the sides. Rose sat at my side, holding my hand. As it turned out, she had put her name into the Goblet. As I remember, not many of the girls actually put their names in, Maxine put 'nominated' names in the other day, which is cruel, really. But nobody was really going for it. Maxine had told me that she was told to enter my name. Whether she had or not was a mystery.

The chatter amongst everybody soon silenced, as Dumbledore and my father walked to the front, to the Goblet.

"Sit down please. And now the moment you've all been waiting for, the champions selection!" Rose's hand squeezed mine, hard. I'm not sure she really wanted her name to erupt from the goblet, I think it was more of a family pressure thing. My eyes scanned the room, looking at the nervous faces of the people sat at the tables and the ones of awe looking from benches at the sides, one of which was Malfoy. He was staring. He collected that I noticed, smirking at me. 

I had to snap away, because the flame glowed red, a piece of paper spurting from it, then softly floating into Dumbledore's hand.

"The Durmstrang champion is... Viktor Krum!" Of course. Everybody clapped, as Krum stomped down the centre, shaking hands with Dumbledore. How was he not shitting himself?

"The Hogwarts champion... Cedric Diggory" I had met Cedric once, in my first couple of days. He seemed ecstatic to be chosen, as once again, the room was clapping and cheering.

Rose's hand was now compressing my own.

"The Beauxbatons champion is... Audrey Crouch."

Time stopped. No. It couldn't be. My trance was broken, as Rose hugged me. What? I had to do it. Father used to tell me that it's a contract. Maxine and I would be having words.

I stood, barely holding myself, as I approached Dumbledore. He looked concerned, probably because my face was white as paper. I glanced at my father, who was shocked as I. The paper was handed to me, and I made a b-line for Madam Maxine.

"I'm sorry, darling! She had me put it in, and I confided in one of your professors and they agreed! I thought it would be Fleur!" I couldn't even cry. I looked back and Fleur looked heartbroken- important side note, the goblet was pink again. Wait. WHAT!

Paper flew from the goblet, once again floating into Dumbledore's hand.

"Harry Potter. Harry Potter?" Harry's face paled, like my own.

"HARRY POTTER!"

After some shuffling, Harry emerged from the crowd at the side of the hall. People shout, saying he's a cheat. He isn't seventeen. Neither was I, but we move. He looked awful. His face was white, eyes widened. He couldn't have put his name in. There was an age band around the goblet. For the third time that day, I asked myself; what's going on?

\--------------------------------------

The common room was full tonight, and I was sat in the champion's dorms of the castle. By myself. How thrilling. 

Maxine spoke to me, told me she was sorry. I love her, but sorry won't do it right now. I wasn't in the mood.

The room I was in was perfect. Dumbledore had put a spell on them, to be unique to each of us. Harry refused though, saying he wanted to stay in the Gryffindor dorms as normal. Oh boy, was he missing out.

My room was a replica of my room at home. The estate in Sailsbury, that is. It wasn't too big, nor too small and my bed sheets were fresh. However, here the room looked lived in. At home, my blinds don't even get opened. Not since Barty is apparently stealing identities left right and centre.

I sat, reading about the tournament, seeing as I was a competitor. Silence filled the room until the door flew open, a familiar blonde figure waltzing in, his hands clenched.

"I could have been changing for all you know." he bit his lip, looking up at me.

"Nothing I haven't seen before, wouldn't you agree?" he smirked at his silencing statement. "Any how, I came to tell you that Snape gave us a project. It's due in two weeks. He told me if I don't help you, I fail." He sounded so informative- and his eyes averted to the floor. "Also, you're coming with me to the quidditch stadium tomorrow morning so I can see if you have these chops Snape keeps telling us about. He excused us from timetable for the day." His eyebrows were raised, making him look fairly innocent. His eyes now scanned my room, stopping and squinting at something on my drawers. 

He picked up a photo frame, inspecting it. It had been a while since I'd been in the room and the elves liked to move my photos around, so I wasn't too sure what it was.

"Whose this?" he came and sat opposite me on my bed, handing me the photo.

I turned it, seeing me and Barty and my parents. I was my mother's lap, 3 years old. My father and Barty stood behind her.

"That's me, there. That's my mother and there's my Father and Barty." he looked at the photo, then at me, then back to the photo.

"You look just like her" he paused, thinking for a second "you know, my father always talked about your family growing up. He said that your blood was 'just as pure as ours' and that we should treat you as equals." he smiled at the photo, but I had something to say.

"Draco, you should treat everybody as your equal." I took the photo from him, walking to place it back into it's spot on my drawers.

"You take it for granted, you know." I hummed, hoping he'd drop the subject, but his hand found my wrist, turning me around. His grip was tight and painful, probably intended, as it didn't loosen when I squirmed. "You should be grateful for blood like yours. Could save you one day from god-knows-what is lurking around."

His hand released my own. He turned on his heel, leaving my room- not before mumbling a quiet '10 am sharp' before slamming my door.

I didn't understand where I stood with Draco. One minute he pretended like nothing happened, but when we're alone, he can make an innuendo. I thought about it a lot that night, missing more sleep than I'd care to admit.


	9. gifted.

-DRACO-

I couldn't be in her presence anymore, but she was too addictive. I fucking bother her while she's trying to dance to just get a glimpse of her during the day. Then I shagged her. Then it got complicated.

Usually, I tend to shag and run. I didn't even speak to Pansy for 2 months after I gave it a go with her. 

Then there's Audrey.

I've known her all of two and a half weeks and I could write poetry about her. Hell, I already have. But that's soft Draco. Now, I'm giving her walls all built up Draco- subconsciously. 

I turned the corner after exiting her room. Turns out, Senior Crouch was turning the corner to enter her room. 

We almost knocked into each other, but I took a step back just before. He didn't recognise me straight away, as his eyes were on the floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry I-" his eyes finally met mine and he looked up at me in shock. Don't blame him. If I'd seen a lad like me walking out of my daughter's room I'd clout him. And that doesn't take into account their family background.

"She didn't tell me we'd cross paths, Sir. I do apologise." I had met Mr Crouch before. He was quite a respectable man, and he seemed to be passionate about his job in the Ministry. Audrey had told me that he wanted her to work in the Ministry, but she said that the 'Magical Institute of Sport' quite took her fancy.

"Not to worry, she isn't aware. I must speak with her. How is she?" he seemed concerned. Why doesn't he know about his daughter's well-being?

"She's alright as far as I know. Was just speaking to her about joining me in the stadiums tomorrow. Everyone says she has an apt for Quidditch." He smiled immediately.

"She's always out flying when she's home in the summer. She has seven brooms, you know!" Does one of those include the one in my pants she rode? Draco shut the fuck up. His tone made me laugh nonetheless, but something was off. He talked about her fondly, but when I watched him walk out of the hall last week, it broke her. I've heard he's a raging workaholic, but from the two, I have a mixed opinion.

"I should probably go and speak with her now, before it gets too late of a night. She gets slightly unresponsive when she's tired." he smiled, and I nodded as he made his way passed me, going into the room.

She swam lengths through my thoughts that night. There's a lot she hasn't told me, I assume. And I don't think she'd have told Potter and his two pets either. I knew I was overthinking, and that the thought of her shouldn't be keeping me awake of a night, but Audrey Crouch was a mystery I was determined to solve. She was also a fantastic shag.

\----------------------------------------------

The box stood in front of me, wiggling around because of the quaffel inside. She was approaching me, exiting one of the stands. I was in a Slytherin uniform, but she wrote to me this morning, telling me that she'd be in her 'Ombrelune' one. Couldn't tell you what she was talking about, but I just assumed it was her house. 

Her attire was far better than ours, I must say. They were the same, standard Quidditch uniform make, just better. It's hard to describe. She wore grey and navy and her initials were on the back, in cursive, along with the word 'seeker'. Overall, she just looked far more elegant in hers, compared to any Hogwarts player. But that has to be Beauxbatons for you. In her hands, she held a Firebolt, making my Nimbus 2001 look pathetic. She was bloody prepared, I'll tell you that.

"Morning. I wasn't sure which broom to bring." she smiled.

"Your father told me you had quite the choice to pick from. I mean, who needs seven brooms?" I joked, as she finally stopped in front of me, on the other side of the box. "So, you're a seeker?"

"I've played all positions, but seeker's my favourite." she looked at the box, like a child looks at a present on Christmas. She walked around, now standing next to me.

"Really? Could never imagine you as a beater you seem a bit-" I was interrupted by a HARD punch on the arm. "Never mind."

She just giggled.

"Can I see your snitch?" she looked at the box, then to the key in my hand.

"Well I thought that you'd already met my snitch, but if you want to, I can arrange-" I was interrupted with another punch to the arm. "You know, for someone with small arms, you have a fair bloody punch."

"Thanks, hen." she shrugged

I unlocked the box, getting the snitch.

"I think that the one to catch it gets a butterbeer." I wavered. Fair deal to me.

"When I win, you can buy me 3 chocolate frogs. How about that?" She wasn't even smiling. She was deadly serious.

"I assure you, two of your sickles will go towards buying me a butterbeer." 

We shook hands before I let go of the snitch.

"Close your eyes. We can't see where it goes." I told her. Her eyelids fluttered shut, giving me time to silently take off. I watched her turn to see me, pull a small strop then shoot towards me. 

"You conman" her giggle sent a warm feeling to my chest, accompanied by her smile. She shot passed me, creating a breeze. She came to a halt, searching with her eyes. I watched, until a flicker of gold appeared in front of my eyes. God, I really wanted that butterbeer. Not thinking about the gentleman thing to do- let her win, but my own competitiveness got the best of me.

I chased it for a short while, not even being able to see her, until the little ball shot up, near to her elegant figure above me. She flew away with it, whilst I watched in awe. I've honestly never seen someone ride a broom so perfectly. 

Eventually, she won. Best out of three as well. 2-1. Six chocolate frogs to one butterbeer. 

"Where'd you get a liking for sports then?" I questioned. It's not every day you find a half sport, half elegant woman around. Not round here, anyways. Was a bit bipolar to me.

"My mother always told us that fitness and competition are the keys to long lives. I have no idea why. She was quite the health-promoting woman. She told us not to be led, but to lead."

"Honestly never met her. I met your father frequently. He'd often come for a dinner party to the manor when he worked for the courts." she seemed surprised. What the fuck was the disconnect between her and her dad?

"Never knew. I spent a lot of time in France. Even before then, I barely seen him. Work was always 'demanding', I suppose. But my mother compensated quite well for that." she spoke with sadness.

"Again, you look just like her. If you don't mind me asking, what was she like?" I felt like comforting her. She obviously hadn't had any clarity around it. I wouldn't like to be by myself if I'd lost my mother. Granted, it was a year ago, but she told me she went straight back to France after the funeral.

"She was part of the Gaunt family," SHE WAS A GAUNT? Audrey, the secret Salazar Slytherin heir. "so she was quite strange, to be honest. Weirdly maternal, as well."

"Can you speak Parseltongue? You know, seeing as you're a Gaunt?" she giggled at me. 

"Don't call me a bloody Gaunt. I've had enough of that over the years. Yes, I can speak it, but my father hates it to death. Barty used to do it in rebellion. It gave him shock. That's why he's paranoid nowadays, I think." Fuck, this was going deep. I liked it.

"So, is your grandfather Morfin? Morfin and Matilda?" she was being so open, so I didn't even realise I was beginning to pry.

"He was, but everyone knows about what happened to him. I loved him, but I hate my grandmother. She was the one who injected the whole Beauxbatons idea into my father's head. She torments me a lot, and told me that any heir of mine wouldn't be considered hers if it was outside of sacred 28. But she married her cousin, so I cannot be sure if I should be too upset." she giggled again. 

The Gaunt's were always inbreeding. Apparently Marvolo nearly killed his grand-daughter for not marrying who he wanted.

But that wasn't even the main piece of information to be connotated. If she was the daughter of a Gaunt, then she was the first cousin, once removed of Lord Voldemort.


	10. no lies.

THREE HOURS EARLIER

-AUDREY-

"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked, as I came to sit with him for breakfast. He was sat alone, presumably waiting for Hermione. She's been moaning to me for 3 days about Ron's sudden vendetta over Harry's name coming from the goblet of fire. 

"I don't know. I've just came from the dungeons." I took a drink, and Ron's eyes widened.

"Stop. Now. Stop drinking that, Audrey. Now," Ron panicked, and I stopped. However, I'd already drank half of the cup.

"Ron, what's wrong? Tell me!" I demanded. I wasn't and never was a fan of being oblivious. I even hated surprises. 

"Don't get mad. Promise you won't get mad." he pleaded, and I only got angrier.

"Ronald you better had tell me what the fuck you've done to my-"

"Therewastruthseruminyourdrink" he splurted.#

"You what?"

"There was truth serum in your drink. It was meant for Harry. I need the truth out of him." he confessed, and my blood boiled.

"Ron that does not mean that you have any need to put Veritaserum in his bloody drink. I've known Harry for what? Three weeks? He isn't stupid enough to ask for something like that, Ron. You know that I didn't. Why can't you accept that he didn't ask for it either, Ron?" he really needs to come down to Earth.

"I don't believe him." he tutted at me.

"Well the fuck off, Ronald." I grabbed three slices of toast and got up and left in a huff. I wasn't in the mood. First to sedate me, then talk like that about Harry? Get a grip.

"Where you off?"

Hermione and Harry seemed to catch me just at the door.

"Out to the stadiums. Ron's attempt to get the 'truth' from you ended up turning out to be him accidentally putting veritaserum in my sodding drink." I huffed.

"He put truth serum in your bloody drink? What is up with him?" Hermione twined. I shrugged, turning towards the dungeon to get a broom.

As I was turning the corner to the stairs, a tall, stiff body bumped into my own.

"Oh, apologies, Audrey" a soft voice said, lifting my head, I identified it to be Cedric.

"My apologies too. I wasn't really looking where I was going." I gave him a small smile.

"Oh, almost forgot. The first task. I'll give you three guesses as to what it is." he seemed to be in a playful mood, contagiously lifting my own mood.

"Oh, Cedric I don't know. What could it possibly be?" I joked, really just wanting the answer out of him.

"Alright, alright. Dragons. One each." Fucks sake.

"DRAGONS?!"

"Yes, dragons. They'll be protecting something, I assume." he said, matter-of-factly. How was he so calm? "Anyways, I'd advise you come up with a strategy. If you need a hand, I can help, but I wouldn't really tell anyone. You don't need any sabotage, eh?" he giggled, as did I. In all truth, Cedric was quite charming, not to mention good looking.

"Thank you, Cedric. I'm sure I'll come up with something." I gave a sincere smile as he nodded and walked away.

The dungeons felt especially cold today, and whilst putting my Quidditch over-robe on, I felt the chill on my arms. I decided to choose my firebolt. I brought two brooms with me, leaving the other five at home. Father always felt inclined to spoil me with materialistic things, even if they were picked out by one of his assistants. I appreciated the thought, but presence rather than presents would have been better.

I was lost in that thought whilst walking to leave the castle and I hadn't realised Snape's lingering at the door.

"Miss Crouch." my mind cancelled itself, looking at him. "If Mr Malfoy comes back with good reports, I shall have you on the Quidditch team. I'm sick of receiving complaints about Mr Pusey." inside, I was thrilled. The sooner I'm in another game, the better.

"Thank you, Professor." he really was intimidating, so I must have sounded timid.

"Now, I understand you have... somewhere to be. Tell me, how is your project with Mr Malfoy going?" I may have forgotten that.

"He mentioned it yesterday, but I didn't get much detail about it." I would have liked to have said that it was going well, and that we've started, but as we can remember, Ronald Billius Weasley slipped veritaserum into my Pumpkin juice, so here we are.

"I shall give another brief to you and Mr Malfoy in the next lesson." his monotone voice was starting to make me annoyed.

"Thanks, Professor." 

"Now, off with you. I have a class to teach." the bloody cheek on it. Excuse me, but you loitered for me. Joke. 

I ran off, excited to finally be on the Quidditch pitch.

I'll tell you- it was brilliant. It was just us. I decided not to mention the mood he was in last night and just enjoy myself. I beat him on the pitch, now he owes me an unreasonable number of chocolate frogs.

Everything was fantastic.

Until he started asking questions. Questions about my family, my mother. 

Eventually, his questions led to me revealing that my mother was Jane Gaunt. I'd never really told anyone before, so I hoped he wouldn't tell anyone, but who knows what's going through his head.

"You said your grandmother torments you? How?" he questioned, again. I was getting sick of it, but it was interesting. Nobody's ever asked about my family and got the whole truth.

"Draco, before I tell you, I must tell you that I'd be inclined to tell you the truth." I warned, immediately confusing him.

"Well of course you would. Why wouldn't you?" his voice was quite sharp, and his tone was annoyed.

"I've never told anybody anything like this, and probably wouldn't, if Ron hadn't slipped truth serum into my drink this morning." his annoyed look turned to anger.

"What in the fucking hell is that pathetic bastard trying to get out of you? Next time I see his flamin' hair I'l bloody-" I decided to interject before he could say anything else.

"Draco- off topic." I raised my brows and smiled, trying to bring a slightly more playful energy to the conversation.

"Yes, I'll hear it. Tell me now, while we walk to the Three Broomsticks." I could only comply, due to my state.

"Well, before my mother passed away, I never really seen her. She'd come for Christmas with lots of gifts for Barty, but not so many for me. I wasn't deserving, apparently. She wanted three grandsons, but got one and a grandaughter- which she held me accountable for. A pull of my hair here and a slap across the face there gave her some sort of satisfaction about it."

"Woah, she hurt you? Like physically?" 

"Yeah, but it wasn't too bad coming from her- she's quite feeble, really. Which is why she had me stay with my god-father in the holidays in France. He's merciless. My father can never know, but he's probably done more damage to me and Barty than I'd care to admit. Barty was just stronger than I. He could take it. I was the weaker one that he picked on." my voice was solemn. I've accepted everything that's happened to me. I've found refuge in blaming my situations, which kept me sane I suppose. But it felt good to be listened to nonetheless. 

"Who's your godfather?" he asked.

"Amycus Carrow."


	11. scattered charms

The Three Broomsticks was moderately busy- people must be having free lessons.

Draco sat me in a booth in the far corner.

"Stay. What do you want to drink?" he asked, somewhat impatiently.

"I thought I was buying you a butterbeer." I stated, confused. This only seemed to annoy him slightly more.

"Well, Audrey, that wouldn't be the gentleman thing to do, would it? I'm going to ask you again- what would you like to drink, dear?" his teeth remained gritted through his words, and his eyes bore into mine. He was quite scary when he wants to be.

"Cherry syrup and soda, please." I looked down, not wanting to look him in the eye anymore. His footsteps began, getting quieter as he walked further away. Why did his mood change like the weather?

Somebody plopped down onto the seat opposite, followed by two other bodies, one next to mine.

"Audrey! Didn't expect to see you here. Where have you been? You've missed lessons all day!" Hermione's voice questioned. I look up, seeing her and Ron opposite me. Ron's gaze averted once my eyes met his. Harry was next to me, quite close may I add. Now, I suddenly felt interrogated.

"I've been in the stadiums. Playing Quidditch." I stated, quietly.

"Snape wouldn't tell us, so we naturally assumed the worst." Harry laughed, making me relax a bit. Harry was as good of a friend anyone could as for. He told me that he'd be there with me through the tournament, which placed him into my good books.

"No, I'm fine I've just been-"

"Potter, if you were any closer to Crouch, she'd have no air to fucking breathe. Shift, idiots. You two birds are in my fucking seat." Draco said, pretty angrily. He put our drinks on the table, then turned his attention to the trio again.

"She hasn't been playing Quidditch! She's been skiving off with Malfoy!" Ron exclaimed to Harry.

"Oh, Weasel. I'm pretty sure she's told you the fucking truth. What, seeing as you put serum in her drink dipshit." Draco's teeth gritted again, his anger getting the best of him. Ron's expression turned into one of realisation, looking at me. I looked down, awkwardly to avoid it.

"Come on, let's just leave, Ron-" Hermione started, but was quickly interrupted.

"Fantastic fucking idea, Granger!" he growled her way, until Harry butted in.

"Watch yourself, Malfoy. Don't know how we could bloody trust you alone with her. For all we know, she's part of some scheme of yours-" Harry sounded angry, frustrated almost. I'm sick of this already.

"Potter. Pray tell, how am I the untrusty one. Weasel-bee over here plotted to put veritaserum in your drink. Inner circle not so tight anymore, hm? Guess Crouch got you out of something then. Now, are you going to move, or must I do something about it?" Draco seethed. He made sense, but I was tired.

"Guys, just go." I pleaded, much to their demise. Well, Ron was who spoke up about it.

"And leave you with Malfoy? Should have known you'd be on his side-"

"I'M NOT ON ANY FUCKERS SIDE, RONALD" I snapped, Ron looking taken back, "I'm sick of you arguing."

"Bullshit." he spat back, making me angrier.

"Ron, if you can tell me how I could possibly be lying, then I'd expect an explanation." I felt flustered and agitated. Draco's arms were now folded, watching with a smirk as I defended myself.

"Come on. Leave them." Hermione wavered, the three of them getting up and walking away to another table. Draco sat, laughing a little to himself.

"Must say, Crouch, that was a lovely scene. Angry Audrey intrigues me. Very sharp, I noted."

"Gets the point across. Speaking sharply, just after the other person makes your point more hard-hitting. It's a basic argument tactic, Draco, come on." I stated, for a person so provoking, you'd think he'd know tricks to a spat.

"Never thought about it too logically. But, then I seen the cogs going in your head, and the way your voice sounded. Quite hot." he smirked, looking me in the eyes. His comment reminded me of the whole event yesterday. Yes, the sex.

"Draco, I'd like to ask- what did you make of what happened yesterday? Why did it happen?" I questioned, tilting my head to the side. His smirk returned.

"Well, shagging a TriWizard champion has never been on my bucket list. And I could ask you the same question. You were there too, doing those things- doing them fantastically, may I add. You let me do those things to you. Do you regret it, Audrey?" he rose a brow, talking a sip of his drink, eyes bore into my own.

"In some respect, yes." I stated, honestly.

"Better action in France?" he questioned, spitefully.

"No, no. Not at all. It was just sudden, and I'm not sure how we are acting so natural after it, is all." I looked down, fiddling with my bracelet.

"I lost control, and I should apologise, but I'm not. I thought it was fantastic. I also think we should do it again. No strings attached, just making time worth while in the room. An arrangement, if you will." he was speaking so calmly, as if he'd thought about exactly what to say. It put me on edge.

No strings attached? Just.... sex? The idea did sound appealing. Very much so. But I had more self respect than that. I didn't want to be used. I know he said some rather personal things, but he could have said those things to any sexual partner. He could have any sexual partner. I'd never really know.

"I can't do that." I said, my voice shaking.

"Why not? You said it was goo-"

"Draco, I can't be at your beck and fucking call for something like that. When I do something- when I'm with someone it's all or nothing." he was looking to the side, bearing his jawline, "Draco, are you listening?"

"Sorry, Audrey. I am listening. But it's not what I want to hear." he said through gritted teeth. What the fuck does he have to be angry about? His eyes focussed on my hands

"Well, I don't know what you expect me to do about it."

-DRACO-

Why was she so fiddly?

"Well then, be official with me." It came out before I thought.

"Draco, I hardly know you. You barely know me. I'm not putting my feelings on the line for someone I barely know, even if it's you." she exclaimed.

"Let me know you, then. Let me in." I plead. This seemed to prick her ears, catching her interests. Her hand still fidgeted with her bracelet. It was small, and looked as if it was made by a 4 year old. Nonetheless, it was getting on my nerves.

"Draco, I can't let anybody in. There's too much," with that, she got up to leave.

My hand caught her wrist and she tried to pull away. My grip wasn't strong enough, as she soon retracted her hand. My finger managed to catch on her bracelet, tearing it from her hand, small charms scattering the area around us. Her face contorted to one of pure pain, from what I can register. It sent guilt to my stomach for some reason.

She stood, eyes wide, looking at the charms, then to me. Tears were on the brink to falling in her eyes. Small mutters started coming from her mouth as she suddenly started scrambling for the charms.

I picked up a charm on the table, presenting it to her when she rose again. Her face was red, with tears running down them. Seeing her like that, because of me, gave me a feeling I'd never had before, yet I couldn't think of something to say.

The charms were in her cupped hands, as she sat back down, weeping a little.

"I- I'm sorry," I stutter, looking at her.

"What the bloody hell have you done, Malfoy?" Weasley's voice came closer, which obviously pissed me off. Feral bastard. She didn't raise her head, still looking at the broken pieces in her hands. Looking at her didn't feel nice. It felt like something else I had... ruined, almost. 

In the blink of an eye, the other two were here, Granger giving me a glare.

"Fuck off, mudbloo-" I started

"Draco, don't," Audrey muttered, voice shaking.

"What's happened?" Potter questioned. I half-hoped she wouldn't say anything. I didn't need them giving me shit for something else.

"It was an accident, I-" she stuttered, then gasped in what I can only describe as realisation, "I'm sorry."

To the absolute shock of us four, she apparated. Pop. Gone.

"Malfoy, I swear to God, tell us what you done." Potter broke the silence, catching my attention.

"Like she said, Potter, it was an accident. My finger got caught on it. It snapped. She cried. I haven't a fucking clue why." Granger's face softened a little, looking into space to think.

My attention quickly turned to the front door across the room, opening to reveal Mr Crouch and... Rose? Seemingly engrossed in conversation on that note. Crouch's eye caught mine, and immediately he travelled towards us, Rose following.

"Mr Malfoy, I thought you'd be with Audrey in the stadiums today?" he questioned, as Rose picked up a charm that Audrey missed, widening her eyes towards all of us.

"You see, Minister, she certainly lived up to the things I'd heard about her skills on the pitch. She didn't really need much practice or warming up. We came for a drink, but-" Rose's eyes were wider than I'd ever seen, and her head was shaking 'no'. Her finger was to her lips, behind Mr Crouch. The other three seen her too. "she left not too long ago." I decided to leave it there, hoping he wouldn't question anything.

"Well, I hope she behaved herself. And Mr Potter! How pleasant of a surprise." He addressed, distracted. I looked towards Rose as her brows were risen. Their conversation soon came to an end, and Crouch went for a drink.

"Greengrass, tell us what's going on." I plead. "It broke and she just cried and-" I whispered the last part "apparated."

"I thought you couldn't apparate from Hogsmeade till you're eighteen," Weasley added, followed by Granger's explanation.

"You can't. Which makes it all the more confusing!" she exclaimed.

"Has she told you about her mother before?" Rose asked, peaking my interest.

"No." the trio answered.

"Yeah." I shrugged. Her brows rose once again at me.

"I'm surprised. To my knowledge, you and I are the only knowing ones." she said, "How are your Occlumency skills?" she asked.

"Alright. I can let it down if you want." I said. 

I'd practiced this a lot with my father. Well, not necessarily practiced, but used against. He quite liked to invade my mind in the night, altering my dreams.

Her eyes looked into my own, as I started hearing faint words.

"Her cousin can do it too. She doesn't apparate under the Ministry." I heard, coming to the vast realisation that it's because she's a Gaunt. I felt her absence suddenly, and my mind was clear of her.

"She's gone to Crouch estate." she states, looking into space.

"But why?" Granger's voice cuts in.

"For Winky," Rose said, softly.


	12. girly's wards

-NARRATOR'S POV-

She hadn't apparated in ages. She only done so in emergencies, which was what this was.

To her, the house looked untouched from the outside, but the tearing, smashing of items accompanied with growls and masculine screams of frustration grew louder as her feet warily carried her to the front door. The knob was cold against her hand as she pushed her way in, seeing that the entryway was tattered. The sideboard was on it's side, missing a leg. The coat rack was empty, the coats it held strewn on the floor.

She entered further into her own house, hearing strong footsteps on the ceiling above, in one of the bedrooms. Wand at the ready, she waited at the stairs. She knew he knows somebody is here, and from the sounds of it, he's moving towards the staircase. 

Her point was proven. He stood at the top, her at the bottom. His wand was also in his hand, and his eyes contained a look of complete hysteria.

Amycus.

"So, they were Girly's wards, were they?" he seethed, the ever familiar feeling of fear roused in her gut as he slowly made his way down the staircase, "Never thought you'd be so capable. What, with your Girly brain," his voice had a deathly tone in it, something she was far too accustomed to, but scared her nonetheless. He was always the sexist type, but fired his comments at her ruthlessly.

"Amycus-" she started, quickly interrupted.

"You know that's now way to address me. Anyways, we aren't here for banter, are we, sweetheart?" he towered over her, looking her down, "Where is she?" after his pause, he continued walking, inclining her to walk backwards, until she hit the wall, that is.

His hand shot to her throat, quickly applying pressure. His features remained taunting and dangerous, and he brought his mouth to her ear.

"WHERE IS SHE?" he bellowed, making her whine as his grip on her thin neck tightened.

"I don't know," she choked out, but it didn't seem to satisfy him. His grip relented and she slid down the wall, catching her breath. But not for long.

"CRUCIO!" Amycus screamed, turning her blood to bleach against every tissue, every cell in her body. Cold and warm combined under the curse, as all she could feel was her dreadful mortality and the whim of death.

He relented again, her sobs filling the room. It wasn't a new occurrence, but she could never get used to the curse.

"I don't know where she is, I don't know where she is," she repeated, weeping.

"Well then, you can help me look, Girly," he said, grabbing her shirt to pull her up, "Why won't the office upstairs open?" he asked, sticking his wand to her neck. Audrey had decided that putting hers up her sleeve was the best way to avoid him confiscating it.

"It's my father's office," she blurted, surprising herself when it was audible, seeing as she was being dragged up the stairs, to said office. Apart from the foyer, everything seemed untouched in the house; perfectly cleaned, courtesy of the elves.

They neared the office, his fist still around her collar and his wand now poking into her side. He kept walking them there, nearly stumbling when he stepped on her feet, cursing and hurling insults as he did so.

His grip loosened ever so suddenly, his fist pushing her to the floor in front of the familiar office door. That damn door.

"Open it, Girly. I know she's in there," he demanded, signalling to the doorknob.

"I-.. I can't. I don't know what he's put on it. I've neve-" she was interrupted by a pop of apparition.

"It's my day off, Amycus. Searching for my missing sister wasn't on my fucking list of things to do," Barty's rough voice said from behind them.

Amycus exhaled roughly through is nose, then proceeded to turn us around to face him. Barty's eyes Audrey's, a stern look on his face, but worry in his eyes.

"She came here on her own accord. She was just helping me find that retched elf, weren't you, Girly?" he breathed in her ear, making her whimper a little, his grip now changing to strangle her wrist. "It's in here, you know. That little troglodyte is here, Barty. Girly's been hiding her!" he seethed at him. Barty's inner confliction was ignited when he spotted a cruciatus burn on her neck, then another on her arm. He watched as she shook like a leaf, taking note of the fear behind her eyes.

"Get off her," he demanded, calmly but seriously. In a split-second, her wrist was let go of, and the back of her leg was kicked, sending her to the ground. "Leave."

"Oh, is Barty under the weather? Would've thought you'd be up for revenge on that-"

"Just stop!" 

Audrey didn't know what came over her to say it, what with her very compromised position and all, but it was cried out nonetheless. Now, there was nothing she could really do.

"YOU DARE SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT AGAIN GIRL AND I'LL KILL YOU ON THE FUCKING SPOT," Amycus bellowed, her fear spurring him on, "know your place, insolent bitch!" he spat, belittling her.

"No harm will come to the master's daughter," a frail, familiar voice came from the end of the hallway.

"Oh, it speaks! I'll hear it cry! Good joy, right Bart?" Amycus's voice seeped with venom, and Audrey caught the elf's eye. Before Audrey could protest, comment or even stand, it was too late. 

"SectumSempra!"

\---------------------------

-DRACO'S POV-

"Whose Winky?" Potter asked, his stupid glasses falling off his stupid face.

I had no idea how to act anymore. It's my fault. I made her cry. Growing up, my mother made me promise to not make a woman cry like I've seen her do, but what I seen in Audrey's eyes is something I've never seen in my mother's as she looked at my father. My mother's eyes bled helplessness, whilst behind Audrey's, there was underlying terror.

"Winky is the Crouch house elf. Audrey's never told me about the connection between Winky and the charm, but told me of it, if that makes sense," Rose finished, staring at the table.

"Have you not asked her father? He might know ab-" I decided to interrupt Granger at this point.

"Her father doesn't know much from what she's told me," I said, Rose looked to me with understanding eyes.

"And how would you know, Malfoy? How do we not know you're not lying?" Weasel questioned, stirring my annoyance.

"Because he isn't. I know her better than anyone- her father included. He never really bothered with her after... well, you know. Saying that, he didn't bother too much with any of them," she recalled, shutting Weasel down. Rightfully so. Mr Crouch had his drink in hand, and walked over to us after speaking to some kid. Rose must have caught on too, as she got up and retrieved another chair from a table and putting it on the end of our table.

"Very nice of you, Rose," he put his soda water and lemon on the table, sitting down, "Miss Greengrass and I were just talking about the opportunities you have when you leave school. I must say, you'd all make fantastic employees of the Ministry."

Barty Crouch Sr was a much loved Minister. It was either him or Fudge and everyone knows Fudge is a twit at the best of times. Slowest fucker around. He's been Minister for 11 years, so I haven't known much different.

"Harry and I were looking into becoming Aurors under the Ministry, sir. Looked very interesting," Weasley piped up. Of course him and Potter were licking his arse, and probably Audrey's too.

"Very good, very good. And you, Miss Granger?"

"Well, I was looking at the Care of Magical Creatures department, but the Politics side of it intrigues me. Would quite like to be in the courts, Sir." Mr Crouch's face lit up. Granger just clicked a button.

"Well, that's wonderful. You know, I started in the courts. Best place to be in the Ministry, Miss Granger. So tell me, Mr Malfoy, have you thought about it yet?" fucking hell, Barty, it's only fifth year.

"Quite fancy being a healer, actually," I shrugged, earning a surprised look from Granger. Yes, I have potential.

"Sounds very interesting, Mr Malfoy. Audrey told me she wanted to go into some sort of sport, but it's hard to get somewhere substantial. I've always told her that working in the Ministry will give her security, but she won't have it. Quite a stubborn one, she is." he reminisced.

"Not to contradict you, or anything, Minister, but from what I've seen, she'd make a brilliant Quidditch professional, in any position. She told me earlier that when she does something, it's all or nothing for her, and I admire that. I don't think she'd let herself be unsuccessful at anything she does, to be honest," I realised I had rambled, but nothing I said wasn't true. Mr Crouch smiled, fondly.

"That's something her mother would say. I'm glad that you think so, Mr Malfoy," he said, finishing his drink, "I had best be off now, but thanks for the company, you four."

With that, he was gone, heading for the door.

"They're quite the enigma. Wouldn't you agree? You said he doesn't know much about her. Why?" Granger asked the group, making me realise that I was in their sodding presence.

"Always have been an enigma. I don't know what goes on. When we used to go home for winter breaks and such, she never got on the Sailsbury train, which is strange, seeing as The Crouch residence is there. She got on the Wiltshire one. Never told me why, but when she would come back, we'd catch her rubbing bruise paste on her legs or arms in the bathroom, or find wound covering charm pages from books crumpled under her bed. She came back, each time looking thinner. Once, she returned a week late, and we thought she'd died."

\----------------------------------------------------------

-AUDREY'S POV-

The journey back wasn't as vomit-inducing as the way there, which I was grateful for. I apparated back into my room with a pop, making my way towards my bathroom. As if routinely, I took the large jar of paste from the cabinet, and started tending to the burn on my neck, just before I was scared out of my skin.

"Audrey," a soft voice said, making me jump. In the mirror, I could see a troubled Harry sat on my bed. Shit. He knows.

"Oh, Harry. What are you doing here?" I stuttered, finally turning to stand in the bathroom doorway, looking at him.

"Checking on you!" he snapped, making me flinch, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I-"

"Harry, I'm not trying to be rude but I don't need checked on," I tried, but he wouldn't have it.

"Yes you do! Look at you! Your neck, your hands, your clothes. What happened?" he ranted, heightening my chances of crumbling. I needed to cry. So fucking bad. But not in front of Harry. I turned back into the bathroom, so he couldn't see my face.

"Harry if you just came here to nosy then I suggest you leave. I'm tired and I-"

"I DON'T CARE! TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!" Harry shouted, making me snap.

"Harry, would you just GO AWAY?!" I winced when I shouted, a sharp pain in my neck quickly came and went, then he sighed, before replying.

"You're not okay, Audrey. I can't leave you like this. You're hurting." he said softly, now standing in the bathroom doorway where I was. At this point, I gave up trying to send him away.

I picked up the jar of paste again, rolling my eyes. Looking in the mirror, my neck looked like it had been seared by something. I went to touch it, but got distracted by the blood on my hands, seemingly in my prints.

"She told us. That you went for Winky.... Why?"

I froze. Winky.

"Winky told my father something my godfather didn't want him to. He's been after her since. My charm, as long as it was in-tact, kept the wards up on the house to keep her safe..." I mumbled, looking at the blood on my hand.

"What happened? How are you not getting questioned about your apparition?"

"I can't tell you about the apparition part, but....Harry, she's dead."

I heard his sick laugh in my head again, his legilimens.

"That's right, Girly."


	13. chocolates and flowers.

-DRACO'S POV-

It had been two weeks since the Three Broomsticks incident and I've never known somebody to be able to avoid me as well as Audrey had.

At meals, she sat with her Beauxbatons friends. In classes, she sat at the opposite end of the room. In potions, she just simply ignored me. I was about ready to give her one, tell her to stop, but that will just get me further into her bad books.

Today was the day of the first task and I needed to speak to her. 

I was sat at breakfast when I watched those bastard Weasley twins walk her in, arms linked. She was laughing, happier than I'd seen her in a while. I don't think anyone other than me had seen her come in, but then again, my eyes were always drawn to her.

Then, it had come to my attention that she'd have nowhere to sit... apart from next to me, in-between me and Rose. However, it hadn't come to my attention that the others were, in fact, talking about her, as she was approaching.

"Well, she used to cry in her fucking sleep sometimes in our room, the freak. 'Oh, don't. Amycus. No. Don't. Help me, Barty!' Fucking freak," Pansy drabbled, Audrey hearing everything, sitting down next to me in a huff.

"I'm a freak, am I, Pansy?" she spat, poisonously.

"Oh, I wasn't talking about you, Audr-"

"Oh, so it's a case of 'if the shoe fucking fits', is it?" angry Audrey making another appearance was starting to send blood somewhere else.

"Oh, would you shut up? I'm going, come on, Milli, before she bloody cries about it!" she addressed Bulstrode, who tried to finish her food as fast as she could, choking a little as she stood up.

Before Audrey could respond, they were gone.

"Don't think on it, Audrey," Rose said, replacing them in the seat opposite her.

"Believe me, I have more life-threatening things to think about today," Audrey sighed, piling food on her plate. Here comes Blaise's daily comment about it.

"You know, for an ex-Beauxbatons, you really don't watch your waist line, do you, Crouch?" he asked, smirk plastered on his face. Blaise is like a brother to me, but fuck, was he a prick to Audrey.

"I appreciate the thought, Zabini, but I'm pretty sure my calf is thinner than your wrist. On the topic, you should really watch the amount of salt you put on your food. Don't want you having a muggle heart attack, do we?" she sneered, amusing the table and went back to eating a copious amount of bacon.

"Crouch are you excited? I mean... eternal glory!" Theodore Nott's voice asked, Audrey immediately put her head in her hands.

"Nott, I appreciate the thought, but I've heard too much about eternal glory recently," she groaned. Now really wasn't the time to be reminded of noises like that, "there's too much to think about."

Sliding my hand under the table, I squeezed the bottom of her thigh, comfortingly though.

"It will be alright. Whatever the task is, just attack it and win. Easy," I joked, making her giggle a bit, "and stop bloody ignoring me. I'm sorry." she nodded, and I hoped it meant she'd forgiven me.

"I don't think I'm allowed to tell you what the task is, but-"

"Wait. You know what the task is?" I questioned. 

"Yeah. Cedric told me a while ago... I should probably go to the stadium now. I think I'm third out, before Harry."

\--------------------------

-NARRATOR'S POV-

Audrey sat in the tent, going through shielding incantations. She'd completely forgot about her brother's warnings of having a tactic and was now left to her own devices about to face a Welsh Green dragon, the second worst in the group. Of course, poor harry had the most dangerous one, god bless.

A loud cheer came from outside, followed by 'KRUM, KRUM, KRUM' over and over. For some reason, Audrey was certain she wasn't going to make it out of the stadium without a major injury, or maybe even make it out at all. Half an hour later, she heard another announcement.

"NOW, THE THIRD CONTESTANT. AUDREY CROUCH" Dumbledore's voice boomed, the kids at Hogwarts could probably hear him.

Harry shot for her, embracing her in a sudden hug that Audrey appreciated more than she could admit.

"Might sound stupid, but good luck," he whispered.

"Thanks, Harry. This might also sound stupid, but good luck," she giggled, diffusing the tension before leaving, entering the stadium.

Draco seen her emerge from the entryway, wand in hand, looking for the dragon.

Audrey seen it stood over a golden egg, staring at her.

The beast moved, stalking towards her, inclining her to jump from her entry way and hide behind a sharp rock below. 

'Breathe, dear'

Audrey was never good at Occlumency, but she knew when someone was using legitimens on her, and Draco's voice in her head felt like a blessing.

She looked around the other side of the rock, met by a huge amount of red, firey light that she quickly retreated from.

"AUDREY YOU NEED TO MOVE!" Hermione's voice screamed from a stadium seat, bringing her to her senses again. She was right, she needed to move.

She moved again, from the other side of the rock this time, catching the dragon off-guard. It noticed, sending a large amount of fire her way from it's mouth.

Before she knew it, she was screaming a spell.

"AGUAMENTI!" she screamed, an enormous jet of water erupting from her wand, creating some sort of whirlpool effect, engulfing the dragon.

She lost concentration, sending the dragon to one end of the stadium and the water going everywhere, over the uneven ground, soaking her. 

Audrey took this opportunity to run for the egg, thinking that it may be her only chance. The dragon got itself together, finally being able to stand.

Before it could move, Audrey had her wand pointed to the ground just below the dragon as she ran.

"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!"

The ground beneath the dragon exploded, sending dust and debris into it's eyes.

In a flash she was there, egg in hand. Cheers erupted from the outskirts, yet all she could her were her own pants and the dragon's cries.

"MISS CROUCH HAS BEATEN HER DRAGON IN A FRACTION OF THE TIME SET BY MISTER DIGGORY. UNTIL ALL OF THE TIMES ARE ACCOUNTED FOR, WE AWARD HER FIRST PLACE!"

This was the last she heard, until she felt inclined to lie down, the feeling forcing her. Draco watched her head smack against the rock beneath her, and most of her body went limp. The egg, however, balanced perfectly on her torso.

\--------------------------------------

-AUDREY'S POV-

"Well, Miss Crouch, very nice to see you awake and lively!"

Audrey's eyes had literally been open for a millisecond. A millisecond.

"You should be glad that you woke up so soon. Your head took a nasty hitting on that stone, my dear!" Madam Pomfrey's voice sounded, however Audrey couldn't see her. She was flat on her back, staring at the ceiling.

I turned by head to the right and gasped in shock. The last person I'd expected to be here was there.

"Morning, sweetheart," her father smiled at her, and took some hair and moved it from her face. He looked tired, but relieved she was awake, "I have something for you."

He pulled up her egg from beside his seat, putting it next to her head on the bed.

"There's something we should tell you, before you start to move, darling," he told her, creating immediate confusion in her mind.

"We? Whose 'we'?" she questioned, earning her a nod towards the other side of the bed.

Audrey turned her head to face the other side of her bed, being met immediately with what felt like a trillion faces. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Moody either sat or stood there, looking at her as if she were a museum exhibit.

"What are you all gawking at?" she giggled, relieved looks coming from some of them.

"Well, dearie," George started, immediately followed by Fred, completing his sentence.

"Pomfrey said you might suffer memory loss," George then continued, in typical Weasley twin fashion.

"But we knew you couldn't forget these good looks, could ya?" he smiled.

"We didn't anticipate you waking up now, though. We came with some flowers and everyone tagged along, really," Harry said, holding up some tulips, before putting them in a vase next to the bed.

"How long have I been asleep here, then?" she asked, the room going quiet, until Moody piped up.

"Two days. Think yourself lucky. In the past I've seen witches like you in these comas for days," he said. She knew who had really said it though, making her think that it was definitely something Barty would say. It may not have sounded like it should, but it relieved Audrey that she wasn't like that, and he knew too.

"What is it you so desperately need to tell me, then?" Everybody looked to Hermione to answer.

"Audrey... because of the different injuries you had, the medication for some didn't react very well. There was giant cuts in your legs that exposed some of the nerves in your legs. The medication mixtures have... temporarily paralysed your legs," she looked down after seeing Audrey's distraught expression, "problem is, we don't know how long for."

"But from what we've heard from Rose, this has happened before, hasn't it?" Harry asked, and before Audrey could answer, Madam Maxine followed by Hagrid ran in, shouting her name, in French dramatic fashion.

"Oh, Audrey! Audrey, darling! It's happened again! You must be allergic to something! How are you feeling, darling?" she exclaimed, rubbing my face and hair dramatically, as if she'd narrowly escaped death. Fred and George were biting back their laughs as she looked at them.

"I'm alright, I'm fine! It's just some reaction. I was walking again in two weeks last time," Audrey reassured.

"What happened last time?" Ron asked. 

"We were doing umm... Muggle studies and you know how she gets with it. I said something she didn't like, and she punished me for it," Audrey looked to her hands. Usually she would have lied. But Madam Carrow wasn't her problem anymore.

"How did you end up paralysed then? What'd she do?" Harry questioned, nosy as ever. All the while, Hermione was looking at Mr Crouch. He was just as shocked as everyone else. He was looking just as sorry for her, but there was something else on his face as he brought his hand to hold his daughter's. Guilt.

"She uh.. she put me in a room with a boggart for detention," Audrey whispered, suddenly feeling a twinge of trauma in her neck.

"I finally had a reason to fire her, that time. Lots of close escapes with her excuses, hm?" Maxine said, guiltily.

Suddenly, Audrey's attention turned to another bouquet of flowers on the table at the end of her bed, sat next to a small, wrapped item.

"What're those?" Audrey questioned to her father.

"Mr Malfoy brought them," he replied, standing to get them, along with a card she'd failed to notice before.

She shuffled, placing her hands in a position almost impossible to achieve, if it weren't for her rancidly extraordinary flexibility, managing to pull herself in a sitting position, shrugging off Harry's and her father's efforts to help her do so.

The large clock chimed from outside, signalling that they should be getting to lessons.

"I'll see you lot later. I'm not sitting in here for dinner, I'll tell you that!" Audrey joked, earning a few laughs.

"But how will you get down the stairs to the Great Hall?" Hermione questioned.

"Hermione are you forgetting that magic exists? I'll find some way," She shouted to the as they left, leaving Audrey alone with her father. He promptly handed her the card to see her open it immediately.

Audrey's lips turned upwards as she gazed at the pink card, 'get better soon' on the front. When she opened it, his neat writing caught her eye and she began to read;

Audrey,

I'll visit soon, when it can be just us. I came when you first got put in, but they didn't let me stay long. 

Get well soon, just like the card says. Temporary paralysis won't stop you right, dear? Anyways, I need to thank you for doing the Potions project on our behalf. Take the gift as a token of appreciation, and don't even think about giving it back! Next time round, I'd quite like to participate. We shall have to organise some study sessions ;). We have another due in three weeks, and he said it's useless doing advanced potions without a partner.

As I said, get well soon,

DLM

Something fluttered in her stomach at the innuendo at the end, but soon pushed it away. After all, she turned him down. She can't change her mind now.

She attention turned to her father, who looked at her curiously, before handing her the mystery gift. Audrey pulled the ribbon care, before pulling the wrapping paper back. Underneath the paper, lay Godiva chocolates, truffles to be exact. One of the most expensive trays of muggle chocolate to buy. It was a limited edition, custom one as well, meaning it would have been double, perhaps triple the price.

Inside the box, the lid read 'Audrey' in fancy cursive, with the selection on it. There was raspberry ones, caramel, everything she liked. Who knew he'd been paying attention to her dessert tendencies? Not her.

Immediately, she was sucked back into the present, turning to her father.

"Would you like one? There's a strawberry one that I remember that you and Mother liked. Well there's several," she smiled and he laughed.

"I remember when I came home on one occasion, and you were about six months old. She was holding one in a wrapper and you were sucking on it, with chocolate all over your face," he reminisced.

"She had them around everywhere in little pots. When I came home for summer once, I found some hidden in the library," she smiled at him, and his faltered.

"Speaking of summer, Audrey, I don't think I ca-"

"It's fine." She snapped, her mood soon changed.

"Darling, I know it must be difficult, but I'm busy and-" he tried to reason, but she interrupted.

"It's not bloody difficult! It's sad! I can't spend summers in my own house anymore," she refused to meet his gaze, choosing to stare at her chocolates, "Can I be by myself for a while?" she asked, much to his surprise.

"Audrey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you-"

"If you didn't mean to upset me, then why mention it?" tears pricked her eyes beginning to fall. To anyone else, it sounded petty, but she didn't know if she'd survive another summer at Amycus's, especially now that Alecto lives there, jobless because of her.

Not knowing what to say, Mr Crouch left Audrey to her own thoughts, accompanied with chocolate.


	14. kept waiting.

-AUDREY'S POV-

I expected to just be in the hospital wing for two weeks at best. It turned out that those kinds of reactions get worse the more you encounter. I was in there for three and a half weeks. Pomfrey said that if I wasn't such a featherweight, that I might have been able to get a more stable walk sooner. She said something about better weight distribution or whatever.

Today, however, I was allowed to freely walk from the hospital wing myself for the first time. Pomfrey didn't let me move from the hospital wing, and any rehabilitation I had done with my legs was in a 7 metre vicinity of my bed. I wasn't even all that stable, so I was still a bit wobbly while I walked.

Father came twice a week, once on Wednesdays and once on Sundays. It was disgustingly silent between conversations when he was there, but he was there nonetheless.

Draco came quite often, either doing work or just on a wander late at night, waking me up to complain or talk. It was quite pleasant.

I was just entering the trophy room near the champion's dorm, when I seen a familiar stuck-up blond woman sat on the sofa. Rita Skeeter. 

Last time around, she wasn't at all interested in me. Our interview lasted all of five minutes, while she was in that broom cupboard with Cedric for half an hour.

"Well, if it isn't the winner of the first task herself! My dear, I'd like a few questions with you" she wavered. I could go away now, only to be bothered at some point in the future by her, or get it over with. Opting for the latter, I nodded and sat.

"So, how is it? A young girl like yourself, beating those older boys in a dragon match. Tell me, you must feel empowered?" she asked, voice disgustingly prying.

"I think I'm just happy I'm not dead, or permanently paralysed," I said, much to her surprise.

"Permanently paralysed? Please go on,"

"My legs were temporarily paralysed. I've just come from the hospital wi-" I started, but was quickly interrupted.

"Oh, the injuries- I never thought! You passed out in the stadium after you completed the task. Pray tell, why?" she asked, her quill going mad on a floating notepad.

"I'm not sure. The spells were quite draining, I suppose?" I shrugged, not knowing what to say. No matter what I say, the article will be twisted into whatever she deems readable for her what? 10 regular readers?

"Oh, of course. I was there, you know! Nobody approached it like you did. Diggory used his immaculate transfiguration skills, Potter used a broom, Krum used a conjunctivitis charm. You, my dear, used very advanced, powerful magic for such a young witch of 12," she babbled.

"I'm 16," I corrected before carrying on, "they didn't tell me what they were all doing, and I didn't really get the chance to plan for it much," I said, much to her dissatisfaction.

The 'interview' lasted half an hour, and trust and believe it may have been the worst half an hour of my life.

\--------------------------------------------

I was on my way to the great hall. My friends weren't informed about my progress, because Pomfrey said it might make them anxious about it. But them still thinking my legs are immobile won't? Okay love.

Going down and up stairs was still a little iffy, so Harry managed to find me leaning against the wall whilst trying to manoeuvre down the stairs.

"Oh, you're walking! Brilliant!" he exclaimed as he watched me struggle.

"As much as I appreciate it, Harry, I'm barely walking. Please can you help me?" I asked, stiffling a laugh, trying to grip onto the flat wall.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," he stuttered before placing my arm over his shoulders, and his arm to my waist, helping me walk. 

"My bloody legs," I complained, as we turned to the door, stumbling a little. Luckily, people were too engrossed in their own dinner conversations rather than the girl on jelly legs.

"Come and sit with us," he said, loosening his grip to just have our arms linked.

As we approached, Hermione, Ron, Fred and George sat having dinner.

"Guys, she's back!" Harry exclaimed to them, their heads turning to me. They all seemed pretty happy to see me mobile, as was I.

I sat, legs facing outwards, but facing them and slightly towards the front.

"Bloody hell, you bounced back quick!" Ron commented. 

"I guess so," I shrugged.

"Audrey!"

I turned my head, seeing Rose approach me, gleefully. 

"Sorry, but I'm stealing her!" she exclaimed, signalling I follow. Harry, who was still stood at my side helped me up, and helped me over to the Slytherin table where Rose was seated. She left a space opposite her for me, next to Draco as always.

"Now, just take it easy," Harry said before walking away.

"Draco, please can you help me tuck my legs in?" I asked, defeated after two tries to lift my leg high enough over the bench. Lord knows why she let me out while my legs were so weak. She said they'd grow stronger when put to more use, but I was as good as a child, now that I couldn't move to the best of my abilities.

"Why don't you help yourself?" he sneered, not even looking at me. I was in no mood to take his mood swings today.

"Draco, I can't get it over," I whined. They felt stiff already from all of the stairs I was trying to become re-accustomed to.

"Stop whining. Your 'damsel in distress' role won't work on me. I seen the way Potter was holding you. Did you show your dramatics to him as well?" he spat. At the time, it felt like he was rubbing salt onto a wound. I already wasn't functioning properly, and after being locked up in the hospital wing for nearly a month, he picked a fight. My eyes pricked with tears.

"Draco, I'm not trying to dramatize anything, I-" all of a sudden, his top half swung round, gripping one of my ankles too hard, swinging my leg over the bench. I felt the muscles ache and he roughly grabbed my other, swinging it over.

"Just eat your fucking dinner, will you?" he seethed, ignoring my sobs. What was wrong? What had I done.

I turned to ask Rose, to find that she was gone, along with her plate. I was put of any appetite I had, and didn't have much for dinner. I wanted to leave, but I literally couldn't.

"Crouch finally trying to shift some weight nowadays? Looks like the infirmary done your figure no good," Blaise laughed, erupting a laughter from the group.

I couldn't formulate a response, instead opting to just look down. Well that's me put off any dessert.

"Awwww, is she sulking 'cause I called her fat? Well, no need to worry, you're not much of a looker either," he laughed again, sending more laughter around the group. I have no idea why I sat there, anyways. I always just got picked on by Blaise and Pansy.

"Shut up, Blaise," Draco warned. I was half glad he came to my defence, but then I thought he literally just wanted him to be quiet. He didn't seem to care that I was crying whatsoever. 

It felt horrible sitting there, and his back was turned to me, speaking to the group. Luckily, a certain red head caught my eye. God save Ronald Weasley.

"You alright, Audrey?" he asked, seeing my teary face.

"She's fine, Weasel. Leave her be," Draco spat, causing Ron to shoot a glare that could kill.

"Ron, please can you help me up?" I asked, voice breaking.

"Yeah, no problem," he said, helping me turn and get to my feet, "do you want to come back to our table, or?" 

"I think I just want to go to bed."

"Careful, Weasley. She might flash you a look and petrify you!" Pansy exclaimed at us, Ron balled his fist.

"I think you'd be the culprit for that, Parkinson. You know, seeing as your face looks like a dog's back end," he sneered, making me laugh. She was struck, not knowing what to say and I took it as a cue to walk away, peacefully until I heard her footsteps behind me, before hearing her speak.

"You're useless, you know! It's literally written on you!"

\------------------------------------------------

-NARRATOR'S POV-

Audrey's journey from the Great Hall to her dorm was slow to say the least. Between her legs and her current situation, she felt like she couldn't move again. He'd told her. Of course, she'd asked about it before but she'd shrugged it off.

"Me and my friends tried to give each other tattoos once."

But of course, she'd only told Draco and now Pansy knew.

She descended the stairs to the trophy room to get to her room, before she was stopped by her three fellow contestants.

"What are you doing tomorrow night?" Harry asked, sending her brain towards a spiral of questions. Three boys coming up to her on a Friday night asking what she was doing the following night seemed strange to say the least.

"Nothing tomorrow after 5, why?"

"We're having a party here tomorrow, and well, it would be half decent if the actual winner attended," Cedric smiled.

"Alright, when?" she asked, hopeful that she'd be stable.

"Saturday at 7. Well, tomorrow. Viktor's getting the drinks then," Harry said.

"Yeah, alright," she put on her best smile, before turning to the stairs leading to her room.

"I think I heard someone go up there not too long ago," Cedric shouted, "so don't have a heart attack if you see someone on your bed," he laughed behind her.

She proceeded, making her way up the stairs. Her door was ajar, sparking her curiosity which was heightened when she seen a familiar blond boy looking at the photos on her wall.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, voice strained. Him being there reminded her of how he treated her just an hour ago.

"Repenting my wrongdoings," he muttered, gazing into a photograph he picked up off her drawers.

"Repenting your wrongdoings? REPENTING YOUR FUCKING WRONGDOINGS?" she shouted, tears threatening to fall for the second time that day.

"Yes, now would you just let me?!" he growled, sending shivers down her spine.

"Alright," she squeaked.

"Right. I apologise about my behaviour at dinner," he muttered.

She stood in disbelief. Such a short apology didn't cut it in her books.

"Is that it?" her voice was sharp and icy.

"Well, what else do you expect me to say?" this snarky remark sent her on a rant.

"Well, FIRST OF ALL, you could reassure that you won't do it again, but that'll never fucking happen because your mood changes faster than the fucking weather. Second of all, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM ME? To accept your half-arsed apology because if you do, you have another fucking thing coming. Finally, how could you POSSIBLY THINK that that pathetic excuse of an apology could get you on solid ground with me again?" she exasperated, feeling out of breath when she finished.

"I just thought that you'd appreciate it," his teeth were gritted and his hands were clenched.

"APPRCIATE IT?" tears were flowing down her face in a free-for-all as she shouted at him, "Do you think I'm not sick of being bullied, belittled and then left to deal with it all afterwards? If anyone was to understand that I thought it would have been you!" she cried, dropping to her knees, giving in to putting her head in her hands.

"Audrey... I never thought i-"

"Of course you didn't. Nobody does," she sobbed.

-DRACO'S POV-

I always seem to cock it up. Things would be going well, then I'd treat her like shit and face things like these. Breaking scenes.

She was on the floor, in front of me, weeping into her hands. All because I can't even apologise like a real fucking man. Now, I was the bad guy again- rightfully so.

Feeling obligated, I sat in front of her. To get to her, I needed to be on her level, I felt.

"Listen, I can't promise that I'll be in the best of moods all of the time, and that's not excuse for anything. Making you feel this way doesn't make me feel good either, and I don't usually get that feeling, and I'd toss someone to the side in real Malfoy fashion. But, I was angry that you didn't tell me that you were going to come to dinner. I would have been there, walking you down, you know. Then I thought about the other things I don't know about you. It's frustrating," I rambled, without realising. It hit me like a hex that she might think it's nonsense and tell me to go away, but I was caught off-guard when she spoke again.

"People have told me that before, you know," she muttered, "It's scary though, getting to know someone and them getting to know you. I haven't told you much because there's too much. It's difficult to tell without scaring someone off." Her eyes were focussed on the ring on my hand as it rested on one of my crossed legs. Her face was red and wet with tears, which I desperately wanted to erase.

"I'm still here," I murmured, but she definitely caught it. The situations itself was so raw and uncovered, and if it hadn't been that way, I don't think she'd have crawled over and let me embrace her. But she did.

Her head rested on my chest as she sobbed and my hands rubbed her back and her head. Without realising, this is what I wanted with somebody. This is the kind of thing I needed. I needed to be like this with somebody. But I only wanted it with her.

Slowly, her head lifted and her eyes locked to mine, then to my lips and soon after, she dove in.

-NARRATOR'S POV-

Her lips linked with his, catching him off-guard again, but soon responded by kissing back. The kiss was tender and pure, nothing like their last interaction with events in the likes of this. His mouth glided across hers and her hands came to the back of his neck to deepen the kiss, moving her legs to either side of his as he stretched them out. Her clothed core was right over his crotch, and as she grinded slightly over his pants, a bulge began to protrude slightly.. It was euphoric to say the least, until it was broken, that is.

He pulled away, much to her dismay and stuttered.

"Audrey I don't want to take advantage-"

"I started it. If I wanted you to stop, I would say," she reasoned. His conscience was quivering, not knowing what to do, "Please. I want to," she pleaded, winning him over. He sighed, defeated by his current situation and the general need to be closer to her.

"Alright, but we do it my way," he said, cupping her face. She nodded and smiled, "Bed then. Now." he growled, and she stood to her feet immediately, hopping on the bed in a kneeling position. Draco took it upon himself to fully shut the door, locking it and mutter some silencing charms. Before finishing his work on the door, he noticed the lack of movement from behind him.

"I hope you're already in your underwear. You know I don't like to be kept waiting, darling," he warned, and she got to work removing everything but her black bra and lacy black thong while he continued to mutter incantations to the door.

When he turned, his eyes were blessed with the sight of her, faintly luminated by the little light coming through the windows. Her toned body was lying on the bed ready, and the sight of lace on her underwear flicked a switch within him. His cock grew harder instantly, which attracted her eyes. She mewled at the sight, snaking a hand to her core to create some sort of friction, but before she could touch herself, a sharp voice made her movements come to a halt.

"You fucking dare touch yourself, touching what is Daddy's," he growled, his eyes darkening. She only whined, stropping slightly in frustration. Draco sat on the edge of the bed, his hand found her calf and moved upward, ever so slowly, but stopped when his fingertips were millimetres away from her aching cunt. She whined again, bucking her hips downward to find some form of touch, but his hand retracted.

"I said that we're doing this my way and I can't give you what you want until you stop being stroppy. Naughty, naughty, Audrey," his hands squeezed the flesh of her thigh, still not giving her what she wants, then brought a light slap to the inside of her left leg, "Over my knee."

She crawled over, driving him round the bend, and she gasped when she felt his bulge in his pants when she was over his knee. He squeezed her arse, caressing it.

"If you want me to stop, you say 'yellow'. Understand?" he spoke softly and she nodded, "Use your words. I want to hear you," he whispered.

"Yes," she muttered.

"Yes, what?" he smirked.

"Yes, daddy."

"Good," he punctuated it with a slap to her arse cheek, making her flinch in surprise. "Count," he slapped again.

"T-two" she rasped. Another. "Three." Another "F-four," she whined.

"Are you gonna be naughty again, or do you even want to cum tonight?" he growled, animalistic. Her core was dripping and aching for touch.

"m' gonna be good, Daddy," she panted.

"Good girl," he moved her off his lap and onto the floor before quickly undoing his belt, shrugging his pants off and tossing them across the room, quickly followed by his boxers. Much like last time, his member stood very tall against his stomach, and all she could do was stare at it hungrily. She daren't move, she thought, as she was desperate to have him inside of her as she watched him pump himself a few times.

He turned to her, a glimmer of mischief in his eye.

"Go and get my belt," he smirked, and boy was he happy with her mode of transport across the room. She crawled all the way over leaning back on her heels whilst she concentrated on retrieving it from the loops. "Fucking tease," he muttered, stroking his cock. Her head turned, revealing a dark look on her face. She crawled back, making him almost finish on the spot when he seen the belt between her teeth.

"Dirty girl, aren't you?" he seethed, watching her kneel, putting her hands on his lap, dropping the belt there from her mouth, "Hands, now" he demanded, and she quickly obligated, presenting her delicate hands in front of him. Enticingly, he performed some sort of knot, binding her hands, just loose enough that she could twist them if she wished.

It was then that she realised that she still had her bra on, and if he wished to take it off he'd have to remove the belt binding her wrists. He had never seen what lies beneath her bra, as the last time he left her t-shirt on. The thought made her wonder as she stared at her hands.

"If you didn't try to touch yourself without my asking, your hands would be free." he shrugged, purposefully condescendingly, "But someone couldn't help themselves, could they?" his face inched to hers, but remaining a couple of centimetres higher, so that he was still looking down at her, "And I wouldn't get your hopes up for a finish. Naughty girls don't get rewarded, do they?" he hissed, twisting something in her lower abdomen. She shook her head.

"Now, no need for pleasantries. On this bed, arse in the air," he growled as he started to unbutton his shirt. She stood as fast as she could crawling onto the bed. When he turned, her arse was indeed in the air, and her eyes met his as she held up her front half slightly. Immediately, he was handsy with her behind, appreciating the view of her arched back while he was at it.

His skilled hands ran downward, past the curve of her arse and between her legs, towards her centre. His fingers slipped into her folds, making her gasp, instantly teasing her entrance, nothing on her clit.

"You're soaked, aren't you?" he cooed, as he continued circling her. All he got in return was a 'Mhm', which he took. Suddenly his hand was no longer there, instead trailing down her legs, her thong in tow, and before she could finish a word-less whine, his cock had replaced it, his tip circling her opening.

"Draco, p-please. I need it," she mewled, earning a slap to her arse.

"Fucking beg, slut," he growled as cock slid through her folds from behind, and he was careful not to give her what she wanted until he heard what he wanted to hear.

"Oh, Draco, please. I've been good. I want you-" she stopped when he slid into her, closing her eyes and letting out a soft moan.

"I'd have made you beg longer, but I couldn't resist, darling," he grunted, as he fed himself into her, and back out slowly, savouring the feeling of her. Their hips kept meeting at a slow pace, both of them moaning softly each time he filled her up. The pace picked up a little nit, but it was nowhere near as fast as she wanted, and nowhere near as fast as she recalled he could go.

"Faster, Draco," she whimpered and his pace changed. But not to her liking. Now, he was going painfully slow. Painfully. 

"Like this?" he whispered, almost stilling when he was balls-deep. The angle was perfect, and he was as deep as he could get. She whined, repeating what she had said previously, begging under her breath. 

This torture lasted 3 minutes, which is what felt like hours for her. She knew what he was doing. He said she wouldn't finish, now he's going to make it impossible to resist by taking his time. Bastard.

When he relented the torture, it was a breath of fresh air. One of the rolls of his hips into hers was faster than the pervious ones, and his grunts became more frequent. His hands dug into her hips, bringing her closer as he trusted into her, hard and moderately paced. He basked in the sounds she was making; the sounds that she was making because of him. 

He drove into her behind, his pace increasing and decreasing to his liking throughout. She moaned in appreciation, and at one point, her head lulled into the pillow. Swiftly, his hand found her hair, tugging her head back up.

"No, slacking, dear," she panted, thrusting faster than she could register. She was oh-so-close.

"Draco- I'm gonna-" as soon as she said it, he halted inside of her, earning him a shriek, and she attempted to fuck herself on him, but his hand came from her hair and gripped her hips, stilling her.

"Ah ah ah. Not yet," he resumed, pace slightly slower.

"But I need-"

"I fucking dare you to. Go on, see what I'll fucking do," she shivered.

"But I can't hold it, Draco. I need it," she whimpered as his speed became animalistic as he fucked- no, rutted into her. It seemed that she wasn't the only one that needed it. His cock twitched ever-so-slightly inside her, hitting a pile of nerves that made her feel like she was in Nirvana. That was it. Euphoria again. Her walls were clenching as she crumbled in front of him. Her hands couldn't hold her up any longer, and his pace didn't relent. 

Just as she was coming down, he pulled out before gripping her and turning her around to face him on her back. He re-inserted himself, getting a gasp from her. She could see the sweat beading on his forehead, his hair sitting beautifully on his forehead. His pace was to his liking, and she was beyond it.

"Draco I can't. I'm sensitive-" she panted, quickly interrupted.

"You came when you weren't supposed to. I'll force another out of you if I have to. Take it, Slut," he growled, then his hand reached to her clit, and she looked as if she was almost crying, second climax approaching. His pace was almost grotesque, and she thought that she'd never seen a human move so fast in her life.

"You want my cum in your cunt? Cause. I. Fucking. Do." he iterated between hard thrusts, making her untangle all over again. Her walls contracted again, twice as much, and she felt a heavenly warmth appear inside of her as she felt his member twitch within her, his face contorting to one of ecstasy. His thrusts became sloppy, until he stilled inside her and collapsed before pulling out.

"You're unbelievable," he panted, his body still on top of hers, his head resting between her breasts on her bra listening to her heartbeat.


	15. all to myself

-DRACO'S POV-

"Why do you have two baths?"

Audrey and I were now in her bathroom after about half an hour of just lying there.

"My aunt and uncle used to live here with my grandparents for a few years before I was born. This was their room, so it has a twin bathroom," she muttered, trying to get a towel from the cupboard.

"Which one do you want?" I asked, muttering as I caught sight of her arse, red and marked with my hand prints. Just how it should be.

"White bubbles and Rose Petal Salts. Same as every Friday," she mumbled, placing towels on the chair and reaching back into the cupboard for the mason jar of salts. She still was wearing her bra, and I must say that it's doing her every favour. Her skin was more tanned than her father's, making me think that her mother might have had a bit of heritage to her. The black lace on her skin was doing things to me, I'll tell you.

"But then I'll smell like you. I can't afford to walk through the common room smelling like I dipped myself in Rose-Hip oil," I complained. 

"Is it that strong?" She questioned. Strong is an understatement. I drowned in it when I seen her in the day. I say drowned- more like basked. She smelled divine.

"Oh yeah. But the smell's different some days," I muttered. I narrowed that down to the different shit she put into her baths.

"Well I have a tea tree and mint set of bubbles if you'd like," She wavered, bending down to retrieve it from a lower shelf. I almost fucking groaned.

"That sounds alright," I muttered. Her arse was enticing and I was becoming unapologetically hard again. Out of nowhere, the baths started running themselves, which I assumed was caused by some sort of wandless magic she performed. 

As she was getting towels and shit ready, I took it as an opportunity to snoop around her bathroom, starting with the cabinet under the mirrors of the sinks. Her bathroom was sort of two rooms. A room with two baths and storage and another with two sinks, a large shower and a toilet. Audrey seemed to be living large. This bathroom could give my bathroom at the Manor a run for it's money.

Inside the cupboards under the right hand side sink were towels and soaps of all kinds. Under the left looked like the sink she used. I say this because it was filled with items a woman would use for her skin. Some looked absolutely unnecessary. Who would need a 'body yoghurt'? All of them were neatly in the cupboards. Her toothbrush and toothpaste was in a drawer in some sort of organised divider thing, accompanied with a half-used bar of soap and a small pot of something unlabelled that I couldn't recognise. What I did notice however, was that she had no makeup. I knew that she never wore it in school, but most girls would have some for special occasions- not like she needed it. She had no feminine hygiene products either, which stumped me.

"Draco, the bath's finished," her voice came, as she entered the room.

"What the fuck is 'body butter'?" I asked, spotting it in the drawer.

"What do you think it is? You rub it on your body and it, you know... moisturises it, I suppose. I use it to make my skin soft," she babbled, going into a larger cupboard across the room, bending down in that fashion that made my cock twitch, pulling out two robes, handing me the larger one, faltering when she seen my erection and smiling coyly, trying to turn away. Me being one step ahead, I seized her wrist, turning her back around.

She knew exactly what I wanted. I could see it. Before I knew it, she was on her knees again, working her magic.

\-----------------------------------

The bath was very relaxing indeed. She'd added some sort of fizzing apple-scented thing that turned the water pale green. I quite liked.

She sat in the bath next to the one I was in, facing the opposite way I was so she could face me. Her bath was pink, and her bubbles were up to her clavicle. She looked ethereal, just sitting there.

"Why do you have so many bath products?" I asked, the scent of mint and apple taking over my senses,

"It's people's go-to Christmas and birthday present, I guess. But I love baths. I have one every night and a shower in the mornings," she replied, playing with her hair. I just hummed, and a short, comfortable silence ensued before she spoke.

"Why did you tell Pansy about my scar?" she spoke, looking into the bubbles.

"I didn't. Blaise knows French," I answered. I thought this would come up, "My turn to ask you a question. When I was in the hospital wing before you woke up, Rose said that it isn't the first time that happened. Tell me about it," I said softly, trying not to sound demanding.

"Well, we were doing muggle studies and she said that they should be eradicated like vermin. I disagreed. My friend Elsie was a muggle-born and she got picked on by her a lot. It was definitely a dig towards her Mum and Dad. I told her that she couldn't speak about someone who was a better person than her. She had quite a bit of fun in detention, watching me from the top of her class like an emperor in a colosseum," she said, rubbing soap on her arms.

"What was she watching you do?" I asked, sort of afraid of her answer.

"She had a boggart at the back of the room. It amused her especially when I stood in front of it and her and her brother came from it. I was there for an hour, and she had my wand in her hand," she had now moved to washing her legs, and her eyes didn't meet mine.

"Why were you so keen to apologise?"

"I'd hurt a woman. Like really, properly hurt. My Mother told me not to hurt women, and it's all I do to you," I muttered, finding her eyes on mine, then flickering to a green soap on the side of the bath I'd failed to notice.

"You don't hurt me all the time," she cooed, trying to make me feel better.

"But I cock it up somehow. Like when I broke your bracelet," I paused. It hit me that I'd never asked, "Whose Winky. Why did they have something to do with the bracelet?" Her eyes averted from mine as she turned to concentrate on washing herself again, paying attention to her breasts.

"Winky was an elf who worked at the manor. She was close to me, and she was at mine and Barty's beck and call. Barty took advantage of it. He always had her working to her bones," she finished, massaging her breasts, "Who told you about Winky?"

"You only answered half my question," I mused, and she smiled at me.

"Actually, dearest, I answered one question. You asked two. And that's not how our game works," she grinned. She had a point. "Now answer my question."

"Rose told me. Through legilimens though. The Three Musketeers would've heard if she hadn't. Now, what does Winky have to do with the bracelet?"

"Winky revealed information about Barty to my father that she wasn't supposed to. Amycus has had it out for her ever since. The bracelet had 10 charms on, representing 10 protective wards on the house. When it broke, it left her vulnerable and when I apparated there, he was there. I'm assuming Rose explained the whole apparition thing." She reached to the table at her side to get some sort of substance in a pot that she rubbed on her neck and elbows, then her ankles.

"She did," I muttered, and she gestured that I copy her, and after much resistance, she shot me a look that made me obliged. The cream felt nice on the skin, and she smiled as I rubbed it on my elbows. Her teeth shone. How could somebody look so perfect?

"Why do you feel the need to know more about me?" she asked, picking up another cream that she rubbed into her soft cheeks. It lathered and she massaged her face while she looked at me, expecting an answer.

"Because I want to be around you. Knowing you while being around you is easier than being around you and not knowing a thing- even if it's not easy knowing you in the first place," I said, and her face softened, "In that spirit, I have a question that I've been pondering for weeks. When we went to the hall to your friends in the first week of term, why was Rose asking about the following Thursday. She said something like 'what do you think she'll say on Thursday?"

"Maxine told me before I walked in that she had found a way to send me letters. She's a Legilimens as well. So, she said she'll probably try to contact me. She used to send me letters every Thursday, regardless of whether I'd see her in school or not. They weren't nice. She's been sending them, but she lives with Amycus now, so they'll be ten times nastier. They're unopened in my drawer," she whispered, massaging her hips under the water. "I don't really have any more questions," she said, "You can ask me if you'd like. I hadn't realised there's so much I haven't told anybody."

I didn't ask any more than 5 questions after that. She leisured as she answered, obviously pleased with her bath. I'll say this- she could run baths for England. Mine was divine.

I decided to stay with her. Leaving her didn't feel very courteous, especially after she'd taken the time to pamper me, as it was. I helped her from the bath, dried her and dressed her as if she were a child. I insisted. Caring for her felt... right.

\-------------------------------

-AUDREY'S POV-

I woke with an arm slung around me, holding me tight. Instantly, I recalled the memories from last night, smiling to myself stupidly. Judging by the darkness outside, it wasn't 7 am yet, and I was filled with energy that needed dispersed. Going to an all-girls school with a ridiculous timetable converted me to an early riser.

Last night, Draco convinced me to take my medication. It had been sitting on my bedside, but I was fearful in case I'd become bed-bound again, with no feeling below my hips. The protruding erection against my arse told me otherwise.

I tried to slink away from his grasp, but he stirred, pulling me tighter to him.

"Get back here," he groaned, his morning voice was immaculate.

"Draco, I'm going for a jog, I'll be back soon-"

"Can't we just go back to sleep while you're cock warming me?" I giggled and squeezed his hand before getting out of bed. Draco put me in a sports bra and shorts to sleep in, and when I got out of bed I was cold.

"Just go back to sleep for an hour and we can get in the shower. I have plans at eleven, so we have the morning," I wavered, putting some leggings on. I used to go running every morning, but this will be the first time since before the first task.

"What fucking plans? I had plans with you, naked, in here, all day," he groaned, eyes still closed.

"I'm going to lunch with Father and Fudge's family. He's had it arranged for a while now," I said, putting a fleece on. Nobody else is up at these unholy hours. The only people I've ever seen are Hermione, Snape and Hagrid when I was running near the lake.

"Do you really have to go for a run?" he whined. I liked this side of him.

"Draco I haven't ran for a month. If I sit inside all day eating chocolates you buy me, it won't be too healthy," I muttered, putting some shoes on. 

"I wouldn't care, dear," he pressed.

"Well, someone else will. If the Minister of Magic's daughter suddenly gained 50 pounds, don't you think Skeeter would put a word into the paper," almost by command, an owl tapped at my window, three items in tow. One was the Prophet, the other two were letters. I sighed when she seen the Carrow family crest on the back in a wax seal. I set it on the bedside, opening the other letter that I recognised was from my father.

Audrey,

Wear something a little bit formal this afternoon. I'll collect you at 11:30. We'll be going into Diagon Alley, so be prepared for reporters. Cornelius will be joining us accompanied by his wife and son.

Your Father.

I rolled my eyes, setting the letter on top of the other unopened one and decided not to look at the Prophet. I knew Skeeter would have put the interview in there from yesterday, so it'd be something to be disgusted at later on. Turning, I seen that Draco had fallen back to sleep, and with that I left to take my usual route around the grounds.

\----------------------

Draco was awake when I came back. He was reading through the Prophet with his eyes narrowed.

"Have you seen what she's written about you?" he asked. I hadn't been in the room five seconds.

"No, I didn't look before I left."

"Audrey Crouch, just 13 years old," he looked at me, eyebrows raising as he mimicked her screechy voice, making me laugh, "winner of the first task of the tournament everybody's talking about! That's just the caption of your photo, dear."

"I told her I was sixteen, for fuck's sake!" I stressed, kicking off my trainers before putting them back on the shelf.

"When were you sixteen?" he asked, as if he didn't believe me.

"Thirteenth of September," I answered before leaning to kiss him on the head, but he gasped and started laughing.

"You mean... I shagged you in the Room of Requirement on your fucking birthday?" he was right- the second Thursday was when it had happened.

"Well... yes," I giggled, making my way to the bathroom.

"But you'd clearly done that before, I mean come on. Was naughty Audrey performing underage deeds?" he sneaked behind me when I was washing my hands in the sink.

"It wasn't sex sex but me and my boyfriend at the time sort of done stuff. He kind of pressured me to it but I enjoyed it," I mumbled, rinsing my hands off and drying them, all the while Draco was trying to put his arms around me, to which I shrugged off.

"So when did you lose your V-Card?" he followed me to the cabinet in the other room that had my shower things in.

"Don't laugh," I warned, before I could tell him. It felt embarrassing.

"I wouldn't anyways."

"September 13th," I mumbled, but he caught it, "This year."

"WHAT?! That was your first time and you never bloody told me?!" he exclaimed.

"I didn't see a reason to. I was ready and you really turned me on," I laughed, trying to find the products I wanted to use in the mass of other pots and bottles of products.

"But I would've made it better. I wouldn't have called you a fucking slut for a start, and what if I hurt you-"

"Well, I didn't tell you to stop, did I?" I mumbled, reaching for a pomegranate body wash at the back of the cupboard.

"No, but-"

"Stop. It's over. I didn't even think about it at the time, and neither should you," I said, which made his shoulders relax a bit.

"I'll make it up to you," he muttered, "I couldn't even get you a real bloody present!"

I turned on the shower and started stripping. Of course, he watched and I could see yet another erection before me.

"You didn't need to, hence why I didn't tell anybody!" I laughed, grabbing the various things I wanted. When I bent to put them on the shower floor, I felt his presence behind me, grasping my hips softly and rubbing his member against my arse.

"You drive me insane, did you know that?" I stood again, as he grinded against me while I blushed furiously. "I'd keep you if I could. All to myself," he sighed.

"I'm sorry to be the barer of bad news, but if you're keeping me all to yourself, you'll need to let me shower," I said, leaving his grasp. I was desperate to get under the water.

"Hardly. You've got ten minutes before I lose control," he growled, stepping in after me. I made sure to get more neutral-smelling things for him to use. Couldn't have him be called a 'puff' for smelling like pomegranates and raspberries, hair smelling like roses.

Immediately, I got to work washing my hair and body with a normal bar of soap before moving to the scented stuff, singing a muggle tune as I did so.

"What's watermelon sugar?" he asked, rubbing my shoulders.

"I'm not too sure, to be honest. It's just very catchy," I stated honestly.

"It is. You'll have that in my head all week, you minx," he gritted. While he rubbed my shoulder and neck, he inched closer behind me, until I was flush against his front.

"Are you done yet?" he groaned, resting his head in the crook of my neck, sucking and biting the skin. I must have been feeling extra mischievous. I was, in fact, finished.

"Not yet. Just one more thing," I smirked, bending over to pick up the body wash right in front of me. My behind pushed against his cock, earning a groan from him.

"You've already used that you fucking tease," he growled, lighting a sparkler in my abdomen. I gasped coyly.

"My mistake, it seems I have," I smiled at him over my shoulder while I stood back up, turning around. Our lips locked instantly and my need for him was getting stronger. He pulled away, kneeling down, placing kisses all the way down my body. He put one of my legs over his shoulders, and I relaxed, leaning on the wall.

"So pretty..." he mumbled, before licking straight up between my folds, flicking his tongue on my clit, making me moan in surprise. "Such pretty sounds..." he trailed, resuming. He was fucking talented. He knew just where and when to touch and it felt amazing and I knew I wouldn't last long.

"I'm close, Draco," I panted, and he stopped. His hands behind the tops of my legs suggested that I let him pick me up, as I did. Without warning, he slid himself in, the bathroom filling with sounds of pleasure and the shower running. However, this was different to last night. As I was pressed up against the wall, he kissed me, on my mouth, my neck, anywhere he could, as if he couldn't again.

He said things to me that he'd never said before. Praising me, making me feel as beautiful as he was telling me I was. I later figured that he was 'making it up to me' for being so rough the first time. 

His thrusts were meaningful and it brought a different kind of pleasure, and I was right when I thought I wouldn't last long. As I came to my climax, he came to his.

The rest of the shower was warm embraces, short massages and sweet nothings from him. I didn't know what I'd one but in the space of fifteen minutes, he'd turned soft. I needed to find te switch and do it manually. Soft Malfoy isn't going away.


	16. pretty please.

"Draco, you're lucky I planned on wearing a turtle neck jumper today," she mused, sat at her vanity, viewing the marks on her neck he'd made not an hour ago.

"Which is a shame," he grinned, "I'm sure Skeeter would have lapped that up," he snickered, earning him an eye roll. She was sat in a skirt, tights, but was yet to put her top on, and was just wearing a black bra. "Will you put something on? You're distracting me," he laughed, pulling the Prophet over his face. The turtle neck in her lap was soon on and she could start on her hair.

"Pretty please can you pass me my wand?" she smiled. Her wand was still perched on her bedside.

"Only because you said pretty please," he muttered before striding across the room, her wand in hand. As he handed it to her, his other hand gripped her wrist, pulling her from the chair in front of the desk, before sitting on it himself, pulling her onto his lap so she could see herself in the mirror.

"You could've said pretty please..." she trailed off, waving her wand over a section of her hair slowly, straightening it.

"You'd know that I don't have to say 'pretty please' to get what I want from you," he mumbled, his head resting on her shoulder as he held her around the waist protectively, "And you never told me that his son was going," he tutted into her shoulder.

"I wasn't aware it was vital," she muttered, concentrating.

"What if he tries something on you? He's got quite the reputation for being dodgy like that, you know."

"Draco, he goes to Beauxbatons, we're friends," she stressed.

"I didn't know boys went to Beauxbatons," he gave her a questioning look through the mirror.

"How do you think anybody got boyfriends? Or passed any dance classes that required partners? Muggles weren't really an option, were they?" his fingers were doing small circles on her hip, and she hadn't realised he was rocking them slightly.

"Well, I don't trust it," he muttered.

"Because being in a café eating lunch with our parents is the perfect situation to make a move, isn't it?" she giggled, finishing her hair, putting her wand down, "Besides, I'm sure he wouldn't want a naughty girl, would he?"

"Don't start, cause I won't stop and your father is coming in a minute," he sighed, pulling her close for a kiss. 

"Come on, knowing him, he'll be talking to someone downstairs," she tried to get up, but his grip persisted, "Draco, I need to go,"

"Alright, but I want your undivided attention when you get back."

That made her think. He wants her undivided attention. All to himself. She smiled at the thought. So much had changed in the past twelve hours, and all she could feel was grateful. There was somebody willing to be around her, willing to know her to every extent.

"About that..." she trailed off. She'd remembered the party Harry had told her about.

"Don't tell me you're preoccupied," he whined into her neck, placing a kiss on the exposed skin under her jaw.

"Harry, Cedric and Viktor are having a party downstairs," she reasoned, pulling his face away from her neck.

"And where was my invite?" he scrunched his nose.

"Well, considering you made quite the scene in the hall last night, I think I know why."

"But I apologised. And I more than made it up to you. Just ask my thighs, they're aching!"

"But they don't know that, and I intend on keeping that secret," she giggled, finally getting up, him following behind. She walked towards her wardrobe, grabbing some shoes and one of her bags from the floor, but before she could stand up, a large hand swatted her behind playfully. "Oh, would you stop?" she laughed, turning to see him looking smug.

"Sorry love, can't help myself," he smirked, watching her put her ankle boots on.

"Well you're gonna have to. Take my old potions book with you so it looks like we worked on the project," she said retrieving the book from one of the shelves on her walls.

"Some project we've been working on..." he trailed off with another smirk as he accepted the book.

"Come on, it's 11:27," she muttered picking her bag up before retrieving a coat from the selection hanging beside her bedroom door.

"So many coats for one woman..." he tutted.

"Can't be seen in the same one too many times, Draco. Have you not noticed I'm the teenage daughter of the most important man in the Ministry of Magic?" she giggled and he smiled. She did have a point. He had seen her in the papers countless times, all of the headlines absolute nonsense.

They went down the stairs to find her father chatting with the three boys on the sofas. Malfoy was behind her, as usual. They turned, shocked to see that Draco was descending the stairs with her, and he must have noticed because he started to speak to diffuse the tension.

"I'll have this back to you with the notes by tonight," he said, casually before giving her father a court nod and leaving.

Harry sent her a questioning look as she took her Father's arm, apparating them to just in front of Ollivander's. Not ten seconds later, Fudge, his wife and their son joined them, his son sending her an immediate smirk.

Not ten seconds later, Fudge, his wife and their son joined them, his son sending her an immediate smirk  
"Audrey, you remember Louis?" his Father asked. Did she remember him? Most certainly. And he remembered her.

"Father, I told you- we're friends," he laughed, eyes still fixed on her.

"Very well. It's a ten minute walk. Be prepared for people taking photographs," he said, beginning to walk. Audrey's Father walked alongside him, and his arm was linked with his wife's.

The other two trailed behind in silence for two minutes, before he finally spoke up.

"Missed me?" he smirked.

"Can't say I have. I'd say differently for you, correct?" she huffed.

"Oh, most definitely. But not to worry, I'll have you back one of these days," he murmured, placing his hand on her lower back, and before she could say or do something about it, she seen the flash of a camera, and then another.

"Miss Crouch, are you seeing Louis Fudge?"

"Miss Crouch, can you address the rumours of your involvement in the TriWizard tournament?"

"Can you tell us your thoughts behind your impeccable style as a young witch?"

"Are you romantically involved with Master Fudge?"

They bombarded her, and he tried his best to guide her through the reporters, until they came to the door of the place their parent's had entered, spotting them at a rather large booth in the back corner. She sat on the same side as her father, the Fudge's all on one side. Their orders were taken and throughout the meal. it was just the adults speaking, while she looked to her plate of fruit and pancakes. He could feel his eyes on her, and just as she thought they were going to leave, Fudge senior spoke to her.

"We actually have some business to discuss with you too, Audrey," he rasped as he finished his orange juice. Business? "Your Father and I have discussed it, and he said it would be best to consult you about it first."

Her Father looked towards her, nodding and smiling. What was going on? Louis's mother spoke next.

"Dear, we're two very public families and we have been close for a long time. It would very much make sense that you and our Louis were to be married," she smiled, and Audrey felt sick, "Your Father's and I both know that you were once involved with each other, and we'd like for you two to make amends, and unite our families."

'Unite our families?'

He was smirking when she caught his eye, then it turned into a malicious smile. He'd asked for this. Her mind was running so fast she couldn't say anything. Of course, she'd expected it. It's what usually happened, anyways.

"You'd move to our Manor for some time when you're seventeen, then you two would get some property of your own until our Manor is passed down. You'd be well-looked after and-"

"I'd like to leave," she interrupted, face paling and stomach churning. She didn't want to be married off. Not to him. As Draco said, he's got quite the reputation, and she knows first-hand. She stood gripping her coat.

"Darling, sit back down. Mull it over," Louis's voice drawled.

"There'll be no mulling, thank you," she turned to her Father, "because I'm not having you marry me off." 

She heard him say "I knew you'd never convince her," followed by "she's incorrigible."

She walked away, out of the door and was immediately bombarded by more reporters. There were so many photographs taken, up until she was completely out of sight. Once in an alcove, she apparated back to her room, finding an angry-looking blond sat on her chair at her desk, holding an afternoon version of the Prophet, followed by a afternoon version of Witch Weekly, her face staring back at her from both, with Louis's hand either on the small of her back or ghosting her waist. How could they have possibly published them so quickly?

"Just friends?"


	17. my house.

"I can explain," she started, but was soon interrupted by his angered voice.

"Well get to it!" he boomed, nearly making her flinch. Nearly, but not quite. In the oddest way, her fight or flight kicked in, and she didn't go for the latter,

"Well, it's not like I owe you any explanation, but I didn't ask him to touch me, which was all it was. Second of all, yes, I exaggerated the friends aspect of it because it's too fucking complex, and you'd have not let me go, which in hindsight probably would have been better because they only took me there to convince me to marry the FUCKING CUNT!" she shouted, but his face didn't move, like stone.

"What's complex? What have you done to make him touch you and want to fucking marry you?" he seethed. She was wondering the same. She was also wondering how she was going to tell him. His face softened when he seen her thinking about it.

"Can I show you?"

"How would yo-"

"Take my arm," she said firmly, and he obliged and they apparated immediately.

The state of her childhood home had been fixed, presumably by the other elves, she thought on it as he recollected himself in her garden. There wasn't blood on the steps where she'd watched her crutch bleed to death anymore, which she was mostly grateful of. The other part of her wanted her Father to find her. But Winky deserved better. The world, even.

"Where we at?" he panted, straightening his shirt.

"My house," she squeaked,

"How's it so well-kept? Nobody lives here," he sneered, looking to the perfectly trimmed lawn.

"We have some elves that came to us after escaping a rather cruel household. They have trauma that inclines them to be obsessively compulsive when it comes to appearance and upkeep in their environment," she mumbled, remembering the way some of them behaved when she was young.

"Your house doesn't look very big for what I've read about it," he scrunched his nose up.

"My great-grandmother put an undetectable extension charm on it quite some time ago when she came into more money," she murmured, leading the way to the front door.

Walking in, everything was in it's usual place, fixed and polished. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar elf trying to scrub an inside corner of the skirting board with a toothbrush.

"Minky," she spoke, almost whispered. The elf turned rapidly.

"Oh, mistress I thought yous was never going to return! Not after the deaths of my sister Winky!" she exclaimed. Her face softened, and knelt down to take the elf's hands in hers.

"The man didn't touch any of the others, did he?" she asked.

"No, Miss. He seens us and we said she was no kitchen elf, but yours, rather. He said stuffs about Mistress that Minky didn't like," the elf shook her head, almost crying. Draco watched the interaction, a million questions coming to mind, begging to be answered. "Please tells us you're coming to the Manor at Christmas, Miss. We've had nobody's to serve. Minky has been scrubbing in anticipation of Mistress's arrival!"

"There's no need, I'm afraid. There's a ball on Christmas eve, and the breaks been extended till the middle of January. I'll probably stay at school. I doubt my Father will return as well," she stood, letting go of the elf's hand. "I've just came to collect something I've forgot from Mother's study," she said, then continued to walk, coming to a large room with a staircase in the centre. She ascended, as did he and turned left. Then left. Then left again, until they were in a hallway, and entered a door on the left-hand side. 

Draco was met with a large study. Four chairs around a table sat in the middle, three of them had the same cushion on, but the one facing the door was pink, and looked as if it belonged to a child. It looked like a standard office in his eyes, until he started spotting small details, like the plates on the mantle. At first glance, they looked to be abstractly designed, but at closer inspection, he could see finger prints and marks from small, child-like fingers. In a magazine holder under some flowers seemed to contain small books, but when he looked more carefully, he found that it was a collection, and he could make out the titles 'Rumpelstiltskin', 'Rapunzel' and 'Hansel and Gretel'.

The pot of pens on the desk contained coloured pencils, presumably for a colouring book. Above the fireplace, there were two portraits, both animated. One was of a strapping boy, perhaps nineteen. He laughed briefly, smiled, and then the sequence started again. The second was of a toddler, maybe two. Draco knew who this was. As soon as he seen the black hair almost passed her shoulders, he knew. He smiled, watching the child laugh and clap, then laugh and clap again. She must've spent countless hours in here as a child.

When he turned, Audrey was opening a drawer in the desk, revealing a key and walking to two small doors on the opposite side of the desk. Opening it revealed a Pensieve. Draco had read about them, but had never seen one. His Father didn't own one.

"I need you to promise me that you'll never tell anyone that this exists here," she muttered, grabbing a vial. When she said she'd show him, she meant it.

"I won't tell anybody," he reassured, stepping forwards. 

"And you won't tell anyone about what you see when I show you?"

"No."

"Good. Come over here," she held her hand and he took it. She placed the vial in his hand and pulled her wand from her jacket pocket. Placing it on her temple, she dragged a splay of sliver and placed it in, taking it from him. Suspiciously, she put it back, but he had no time to wonder before she'd extracted another, balancing it on her wand.

"Are you ready? I'll come in with you if you'd like," she whispered, grasping his hand.

"Yes, to both," he assured. She let it go, and it gracefully fell into the Pensieve, revealing Louis's face.

"Put your face in, keep your eyes open. Your consciousness and the memories will control the rest," she stated, and soon enough, both of their heads dipped into the Pensieve.

Draco's vision blurred, then refocussed as he was suddenly standing in a hallway, a hand tightly clutching his. To his side, Audrey looked at him reassuringly before turning around. Behind them, school kids walked or sat on benches, and through them all he could see her sat on a bench, Rose at her side. She guided him towards her. Fake Audrey and Rose were engrossed in happy conversation, right up until the moment he entered the hallway.

"Oi, boys look! It's the wife!" he shouted to his friends, referring to her. Draco had a question or two, as would anyone. "Greengrass, away with you. Now," he demanded and Rose obliged, scurrying away.

"Why is he-"

"Shush. You'll miss it," she hissed, giving his hand a squeeze.

Turning back, Fudge was hovering over her, hand on her back.

"She can't wait to have my kids, can you? All twelve of them will be running round your little feet. I won't be able to keep you out of those tight maternity leggings, Girly," he drawled and he seen her face visibly go pale.

"I'd rather be sterile than have any child of yours," she said in disgust, trying to shift from the hand that had snaked it's way around her waist that Draco hadn't noticed. The Audrey next to him was looking thoughtfully at the Audrey sat in front of them in discomfort.

"Oh, it won't be that bad, Girly. I won't hit the ones I like," he mocked, earning a laugh from his friends. "I won't hit you that much either if you satisfy my needs, if you know what I mean."

Draco felt his blood come to a boil as if it were in a kettle. From what he read, she'd performed something that only let him see the most significant memories that affected the re-caller's mind the most. If this was just the first one, he didn't know how he'd compose himself in the ones to come.

"Well it seems that your 'needs' will go unsatisfied, because I'm sure nobody else would like the burden of being your wife," she snapped, gathering her things to leave, but his hand snatched the back of her neck, fingers digging in. He laughed a little seeing her squirm.

"Who else do you think would accept it and do it? You're a big girl, Audrey. And I have big plans for when I get my hands on you," he was close to her ear, but still made sure his friends could hear him, sending them smiles as he taunted her.

"I certainly won't do anything for you," she whispered, and Draco could see that the grip he had on her neck hadn't relented.

"Well then, you'll suffer until you do. Then you'll suffer some more. My favourite thing to watch you do," he glanced up and his face lit, but Draco didn't look in that direction. He was too busy focussed on the girl staring at her shoes. She didn't look much younger than she did when she met him, so he was guessing that this was in the last year.

"Madam Carrow!" he shouted. 

The woman he instantly recognised as Alecto Carrow stormed over, eyes immediately finding Audrey, causing her to smile maliciously.

"Do we have an issue over here?" she addressed Louis.

"Several, Miss," he began listing off pointless things that Draco was almost glad he couldn't hear for the change in the memory being viewed to him. 

Before he could register the change, Draco was stood in an unfamiliar kitchen, one Audrey next to him, holding his hand, the other stood at the counter, cleaning what appeared to be tomatoes that were all over the counter.

"And you can clean this up too, Girly," a voice came from behind them before a tomato was hurled at the wall behind her, which would've hit her head had she not ducked. Amycus was behind them, rage imprinted on his face.

"Yes, uncle," she said, keeping her head down, focussing on the task at hand. Draco turned to the present Audrey, a questioning look on his face.

"Why are you calling him uncle?" he asked, giving her had a comforting squeeze.

"He said the wife of his nephew is to call him uncle," she squeaked, focussing on the dithering version of herself on front of her

"Whose his nephew?"

Just as he said it, it hit him. It didn't need to, because he could hear footsteps coming from beyond the door.

"Uncle, I'm back. Where is she?"

Louis came prancing in the kitchen, a spring in his step. It made him grit his teeth.

"Where she fucking should be. Cleaning fucking countertops. Isn't that right, Girly?" his voice was sickening. She nodded, which didn't seem to satisfy Amycus. He threw another tomato, this one hit her on the arm as she reached for the other end of the kitchen island with her washcloth, of which was red and sloppy.

"You better get her sorted out, boy!" he shouted towards Louis, who was perched against the wall behind Audrey, eyes trained on her behind, which was on show in a short dress, he'd assumed that Louis requested she wore.

"I think she'll always be like that. Pathetic bitch," he sneered, which seemed to amuse Amycus.

"You know what, I agree with you there," he stalked towards her, and she flinched away, dropping the tomato-filled rag while doing so. "She's like a fucking dog." he growled, gripping the back of her neck, pushing her to the floor. Draco watched him with pure hate as he rubbed her face into the rag, then the floor. When he stopped he kicked her, "Get up, worthless cunt."

"Have you heard about her boyfriend?"

Amycus looked to him with what looked like malice mixed with curiosity.

"Her what?"

"Her boyfriend," he looked smug as he stared at her figure trying to pull herself up. Next to Draco, Audrey's hand was shaking, and he drew circles on her hand as he watched.

"Best part is, he's a fucking mudblood!" he laughed. Alecto laughed, but as soon as she was on her feet and stable, he shot her a 'crucio'.

Draco didn't see her body drop before he was somewhere else, meaning that the memory had changed.

They were now in a quaint café. The atmosphere was warm, and he caught sight of Audrey, dressed in the clothes she wore today, playing with fruit on a plate mindlessly while Louis practically burned through her with his eyes.

It hadn't occurred to him that someone had spoken to her, and when it did, he definitely jumped into the conversation at the wrong time.

"It would very much make sense that you and our Louis were to be married," the woman droned. He watched Audrey become ill-looking. 

He watched attentively as she retaliated and left as well. As soon as the door to the café opened, he was sucked back. 

He couldn't regain his composure quick enough, so he staggered back, the desk caught him. He looked up, and she was there, watching him. He lowered, sitting on the floor .

"I'm sorry," he choked out, panting. Her face softened.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for," she gave him a small smile before joining him on the floor, linking their hands and resting her head on his shoulders.

"You're so brave. And resilient," he whispered after a moment's silence.

"Resilience is good. I'm not brave. I let it happen. Somebody brave wouldn't have accepted that as quickly as I did. I gave up, Draco," she mumbled.

"But you didn't. You're here, are you not? With me."

This had her. She began to weep, and he held her. After some more silence, she spoke.

"Well then I stand corrected. I'm not brave because I'm stuck there. It's worse. Draco, I'm trapped," she choked out. "I'll never get away from them. If one's gone, the other's a problem. Vice fucking versa," she cried into his chest. She'd never cried like this. Not out of self-pity. It was always because of someone or something. But now, she was crying on behalf of herself. 

Draco held her for as long as she cried, listening to her every word. He didn't want her to be trapped, and he told her. He didn't want her to feel like that, and he told her.

When they apparated back, it was 3pm. Time had gone slowly. He bathed her, and whispered sweet nothings to her. He held her until she didn't want to be held.

Even though she didn't want to be held, he stayed and thought about her. 

How was she so collected all of the time?

\-------------------------

"What's your favourite colour?" she asked. A simple question, after a long period of silence. They were on her bed, at opposite sides, looking inward at each other. Until now, both of them had their eyes closed. He was thinking about what she'd just shown him. She was thinking about everything but what she'd just shown him. He smirked before answering.

"I'll give you three guesses."

"Green."

"No."

"Black."

"No."

"Well, I'm out of guesses," she smiled.

"Well, you'll never know-"

"It's red." she stated, firmly.

"Correct. In the tradition of returning questions, Audrey, my dear, what is your favourite colour," he smirked again. Everything seemed so relaxed all of a sudden, and she enjoyed it.

"Guess," she smirked.

"Pink?"

"Typical to assume a girl's favourite colour is pink, wouldn't you think?" she giggled, and he smiled.

"Alright then, purple?" he questioned.

"No, no, no," she grinned, "One more guess."

"I don't know... blue?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

"Favourite food?" he asked, her eyes lit up.

"Raspberry ripple ice cream. I'd eat it every day for every meal for the rest of my life if I could, but I doubt it'd do my body any good. What about you? What's the infamous Draco Malfoy's favourite food?"

"Believe it or not, apple crumble," he smirked, "But I'm quite partial to a woman's-"

"I'm not going to let you finish that," she laughed, blushing.

They continued with asking random questions about each other, taking each piece of information about the other person as it came until an hour and a half before the party she was expected to attend. He found out her favourite drink, place to eat, favourite book, magazine, Muggle item and so many other quirky things.

"The Diggory lad approached me when you were out, saying I could come as a friend of yours. Everyone in the year's invited," he muttered as both of them got up from their positions on the bed.

"Alright, but you should probably stay around Pansy and Blaise," she mumbled, making her way to the bathroom.

"How come I don't get to be with you?"

"They're gonna think it's a bit suspicious of you, don't you think?" she said, as he trailed behind her.

"I don't care," he shrugged. "And it's not even like they'll get any ideas either. I'll just tell them-"

"Draco, please." she looked almost defeated as she pleaded to him, handing him a towel. He felt it.

"This isn't about my friends is it?"

"Well, it is but I suppose Harry and them won't appreciate me being friends with their so called 'enemy', never mind whatever we have going on," she huffed in confession.

"If they were your friends, they wouldn't care. They'd trust your judgement, wouldn't they?"

She paused, then nodded.

"Bath or shower?" she asked, pulling away.

"Shower, dear. Do you, by any chance, happen to have a razor of some sorts. Stubble isn't attractive," he said, flashing himself a look in the mirror.

"I don't have any," she said, grabbing various green looking containers from her cabinet.

"Well then how's your legs so smooth?"

"I used some sort of spell when I was thirteen. It burned really bad, but I won't have hair anywhere other than my head, eyebrows and eyelashes for the rest of my life," she said, turning around.

"That's good for you, but I don't like having a prickly face, darling."

She just laughed, leading them through to the shower.

Of course, they showered together, and washed each other's hair playfully. He couldn't wrap his head around the amount of conditioner she must use in a week.

\-------------------------

"What the fuck am I going to wear?" he twined from his spot on the bed. He was naked, laying starfish while she was in the wardrobe wearing a dressing gown. His robe was on the edge of the bed, but he'd refused to wear it.

"Come in here and look in the drawer," she shouted through.

"Well what good's that gonna do? I'll find myself a lovely pink bodycon to wear, will I?" he raged.

"Draco, it's a charmed drawer. If something isn't in the room, you think about it and it appears when you open the drawer. You could summon a razor if you wanted as well, so come through!"

He grumbled under his breath, and walked through to the wardrobe. The sight he was met with made him dizzy. All of his blood rushed south.

She stood, naked apart from a red, lace thong, holding a red dress over her body as she looked in the mirror. She was facing away from him, looking into a mirror and he got the best view of the way her arse looked in the thong. She was swaying her hips, mimicking the way she'd look in the dress and he was gobsmacked. 

Her eyes met his in through the mirror, and she spotted his erection and blushed.

"Are you ever not hard?" she flashed him a smile, putting the dress on a hanger.

"Not when you're around love. I wondered why you asked what my favourite fucking colour was," he gritted. Neither had moved closer, but he was begging to pounce on her.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I could fix your problem if you want," she said coyly, biting her lip.

"I'd be your best fucking friend," he growled, and she came closer.

On her knees, she sucked the life out of him. He made a mental note to ask why she done it so willingly, because any other girl would be hesitant, or from his experience they were. He knew he was big and it intimidated girls, but Audrey was different. She was the first person he'd bottomed out, and she loved it when he hit the places he could reach because of his size.

\------------------

The party, in her opinion was great.

Unlike at Beauxbatons, she wasn't forced to sit in the lap of a boy who told her he was going to marry her every day.

She drank much more than she expected to, and her friends from France had certainly noticed, and Rose was attempting to limit her intake.

"But Rose, I want some more!" she stropped, and her face didn't change when she seen Cedric come over.

"What's the matter?" he asked, concern strewn on his face.

"Rose said I'm not allowed another blue lagoon!"

"Oh, we can't have that now, can we?" he shouted over the music, putting an arm around her shoulders and lifting his drink to her lips, letting her sip.

As he took it away, she caught Draco's eye from across the room. She thought he'd be enraged, but he sat there coolly, just looking at her. Something glittered in his eye that she couldn't pick up on. Her intoxicated brain couldn't think of more than two things at once, so when something else caught her attention, the thought slipped.

It had been about 3 hours and people were starting to leave, especially 5th years, who had exams after Christmas. There were just the people in her year, Rose, Cedric and Viktor.

"Oi, Audrey, want to play truth or dare?" she heard Harry say and she nodded immediately, "We're doing it over by the chairs, so we'll be turning the music off. Go and tell those lot. They can play if they want," he slurred, referring to the group of Slytherins in the corner drinking Firewhiskey and Absinthe. Draco was stood with Pansy, Blaise, Theodore Nott and Adrian Pucey, and they seemed to be in high spirits until they spotted her approaching.

"We're knocking the music off to play truth or dare. His Royal Highness said you can play if you want," she said, probably slurring like Harry.

"Why would we want to play with you-" Pansy started, interrupted by Draco.

"Actually, I think I will play," Draco mused, watching her.

"Good. We're playing by the sofas in five," she muttered before turning away. Walking to the sofas, she seen Harry, Ron, Hermione and the Weasley twins sat on either side of Rose.

"Malfoy's playing."

"Out of anyone, I thought he'd be the last to accept the offer," Ron laughed. Clearly Ronald Weasley and alcohol don't mix well. He hiccupped like mad for a solid minute and a half.

Soon enough, not just Malfoy, but Pansy and Blaise came to play as well. They sat down without a word, until Ron spoke.

"I'll go first. You can ask anyone you want, just include everyone, yeah?" Ron said, as if they were school children. They laughed, nodding apart from Draco. He stared at Audrey, intently. "Malfoy. Truth or dare?"

Everyone's eyed widened. If it were anyone Ron would ask, her last assumption would be Draco.

"Truth," he said, face stoic. 

"I have to know. How many people in the game have you shagged and who?" Ron asked, giggling to himself. Everybody's eyes widened.

"Nice try, Weasel. That's two questions. I'll answer the first. I've had two in the sack, one considerably better than the other, I must say," he smirked, swirling his absinthe in his glass, until he looked up and spoke again. All of the girls were looking around at each other with keen eyes. Audrey could easily tell that the other person was Pansy. A smirk was laced right across her face, and she couldn't help but wonder which one of them he meant when he said one was better than the other.

"Greengrass. Truth or dare?"

Audrey knew what she was going to pick before she said it. Rose was notorious for performing dares. 

"Dare. Make it good," she looked deadly. She relished a good dare. Draco scoffed.

"I had a half-decent truth waiting, but I suppose I have a dare that will have to suffice," he smiled mischievously, then spoke again, "Snog Audrey with tongue for 20 seconds."

"You think I haven't been dared to do so before?" she said coolly. Rose had always been able to keep alcohol back well. Draco's eyes had risen at her statement. "Get creative, Malfoy."

In the end, Rose ended up eating a cupcake off Ron's chest while her hands were bound behind her back. 

The dares and truths circled round, and Audrey found that through the truths she had learned nothing devastatingly interesting, or interesting at all. They're all quite predictable people. All but one, she supposed. Blaise and Pansy had left after having their respective turns.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she was asked the infamous question by George Weasley.

"Dare."

George's face lit up.

"Right then, ladies and gents. Let's make this interesting," he smiled and grabbed an empty bottle from behind him and placed it into the centre of the circle that had formed. "Seven minutes in heaven with whoever it lands on," he smirked. "Still up for it? Or would you rather a truth?"

Draco's eyes matched hers and she instantly looked away. He still sat stoic, but his eyes told a different story.

"Spin it."

George looked to Fred as he spun the bottle. As it came to a slow, her heart felt as if it were in her arse hole. The girls were still in the circle, and granted, they'd probably oblige seeing as they were all trollied, but Audrey didn't fancy it too much. Harry was smiling as it seemed to be coming to a stop near him, but it faltered when it didn't.

She watched it stop and looked in the direction it was pointing.

She sighed to herself in relief when she was met with an ever familiar pale-faced blond.

"Come on then, dear," he smiled, standing up and reaching his hand out to her.

Fred and George were cheering for Draco, telling him to 'have a good one', whatever that meant. Harry, Cedric and Hermione were scowling at him.

"Audrey, remember, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do!"

Hermione's words would've made her act as if she'd listened as if that were the case, but Draco spoke up before she could do anything.

"Oh, I wouldn't fret, Granger. I know how to take care of her," he smirked, snaking an arm around Audrey's waist before turning her to face the stairs. "Wait for me up there."

Hermione looked gobsmacked as she obeyed, walking up the stairs, black hair swaying at her waist as it usually does.

Draco turned to the Weasley twins, whispering something to the two drunken idiots and George put his hand out, gesturing for Draco to shake.

"Don't shake hands with the enemy!"

Granger's voice was serious, as always. Had she even drank at all tonight?

"As I said, Granger. I wouldn't fret. Do you think little Miss Perfect upstairs would tolerate me if I were an enemy? I don't."

"But you'll take advantage of her! She's too drunk!" she exclaimed, hand actions exaggerating what she said.

"If you're so concerned about consent now, Granger, you should walk up those stairs and ask her what we done in the shower stone cold sober this morning. That should speak for itself. Anyways, I don't intend on making a move. I'll merely tuck her in."

"I'm coming to give her a kiss good night," Rose said, suddenly, standing.

"Be my guest, Miss Greengrass. And perhaps Granger wants to supervise to see if I maul you or not," he snickered, making his way up the stairs.

"Actually, I do."

"Well, me and Ron are coming as well," Potter vouched, and soon everyone was following him up the stairs.

"Rose, peek your head in," Draco spoke up.

"Fucking why? Can't we just walk in?"

"Well, considering she thought I was going to come up here and give her the time of her life, she might not have any fucking clothes on," he hissed.

"Why the fuck are you whispering?"

"Cause she's probably asleep! Her head's been dipping throughout the entire fucking game!"

Rose rolled her eyes, sticking her head through the door. Her body faltered and they knew why when they seen her retract her head to see her laughing.

"She's face down with the dress on, still," she giggled and everybody seemed to clamber into the room, finding her on the bed. "Now, be careful. She's foul when she's tired, not to mention tired and drunk. Who wants the burden of waking her up? She'll hate you unconditionally for the rest of her life, I'll warn you."

"I volunteer Malfoy, if they're so close," Harry said, bitterly.

"Alright, Potter," he smirked, walking over to her and turning her over. She covered her closed eyes to avoid the light immediately and groaned. "Come on, you're still in your dress," he soothed, picking her up and taking her to the wardrobe.

"Draco, put me back on the bed, I'm fucking tired!" they all heard her whine. He put her on the ottoman and she rubbed her eyes while he got her pyjamas.

"Change and I'll take you for ice cream tomorrow," he pleaded.

"Fine, but you better get me a decent sized cone!" she stropped, getting up. She hadn't registered the six people stood at the door, but he was fully aware. "Where did everyone else go?"

"They're at the door, dear," he smirked, nodding his head to the people in the doorway of the closet.

"Nice room, Audrey," Fred and George said simultaneously.

"Thanks. Look guys, it's been good fun but you won't all get back without getting caught. Some of you should stay," she looked to them.

"Me and Fred will get there perfectly fine, Audrey. These lot might not," George said, and she nodded in agreement. 

"I'll get some stuff ready for you lot. I could apparate you, but in the state I'm in we probably wouldn't go to the right place," she giggled.

"Yeah, I'd rather sleep on your floor than end up in Moody's private quarters," Ron joked and everyone but Audrey laughed. She felt sick when she remembered her bother was probably asleep in the castle somewhere.

"Draco, there's these blow up mattress thingys in the cabinet over the mirror. Get all three. There's two doubles and a single. Rose can blow them up with her wand," she trailed off, taking her pyjamas from Draco.

"And what will you be doing to help the effort?" Draco asked her.

"What you told me to. Putting my pyjamas on in the bathroom. While Rose blows the beds up, explain the drawer to them," she shouted behind her, hugging Fred and George goodbye before they left.

Making her way into the bathroom, she removed her dress as fast as she could. She loved how it looked, but it got uncomfortable after a while. Draco had given her a baggy t-shirt and a pair of shorts that she was certain were her longest pair. 

She slipped into them and went to her sink instantly. The door came open in the bathroom and through the doorway she seen Hermione collect her bearings and locate her.

"That drawer really is magnificent, you know! I just thought of my pyjamas and there they were!" she said, excitedly.

"It's useful. I can charm a drawer of your own if you'd like," she said casually as she located the items she used on her skin of a night. "Would you like some aloe?"

"Some what?"

"Aloe. As in Aloe Vera. It's got many moisturising benefits for the skin," she said, turning to find her in her pyjamas already.

"Erm... alright," she came close and Audrey dotted some on her face, telling her to rub it in.

When Audrey and Hermione emerged from the bathroom they found a scene to behold.

Harry, Ron and Draco were sat on the mattresses in a triangle, facing each other, drinking firewhiskey, talking about.... sex?

"No, Ron, you don't just leave her to do her own thing when it's finished," Harry said, matter-of-fact.

"Yeah, Weasley. It's a woman, not a robot," Draco said, downing his glass and reaching for the bottle to top himself up.

"Who did you pull first, Malfoy?" Harry asked, and Draco responded after thinking for a couple of seconds.

"Have a fucking guess. She was down the fucking stairs staring at me earlier," he pulled a face of disgust.

"You lost it to Parkinson?!"

"Mate, it's not my proudest moment, alright," he smirked. "Enlighten, Potter. Who was lucky enough to have your first time in the sack?"

"Pavarti Patil."

"Better than Padma, I'd say-"

"Is this what boys talk about when they're left by themselves?" Audrey interrupted them.

"It's just a bit of banter, Audrey," Ron started, "At least we aren't tearing the room up trying to stun each other," he tried to reason.

"Well, you'll stop. Nobody ever asked to be talked about behind their back," she scolded lightly, just as Rose came from her wardrobe.

"We won't say anything bad about anybody, then," Draco smirked at the other two boys.

"Fine. Only if you're talking about yourselves. I don't want you mentally undressing girls in my bedroom," she said, heading into the wardrobe and collecting some gin and lemonade from the drawer. She entered back, just as Draco was responding.

"Alright, dear," he said and Harry made a sound similar to somebody cracking a whip, "Oh, give over, Potter!" Draco threw a pillow at Harry, making him and Ron laugh. They went back to talking about whatever they were talking about. She thought briefly about how one could start such a conversation in such a short amount of time.

Audrey poured a drink for herself, with minimal gin inside, as per Rose's suggestion. Her, Rose and Hermione ended up on the floor on the other side of her bed, talking about anything and everything you'd expect three sixteen-year-old girls to talk about.

When Audrey wobbled as she stood to get another drink, Hermione decided it was time they were asleep.

"It's two in the morning, we should go to bed," she said.

"Yeah, alright 'Mione," Ron muttered, earning him to 'whip' sounds from Harry and Draco that they laughed off.

"I'm warning you that the single mattress is mine," Rose said, picking it up and placing it long-ways at the foot of Audrey's bed.

"Good luck top-and-tailing with Weasley, Potter!" Draco snickered, climbing into Audrey's bed.

"I have every right in my mind to tell you to sleep in the shower cubicle, Draco," Audrey mumbled, climbing in next to him. She heard another whipping noise from somewhere in the dark room, which made her giggle inwardly. Hermione seemed glad to have the double mattress to herself, and looked quite comfy. Rose was flat-out within seconds, so nothing could be said about her apart from the fact that she looked deadly still when she slept.

"Oh, but you wouldn't," he whispered, tickling her sides a little.

"Try me, buffoon," she laughed.

\----------------------------------------

Audrey thought she might have dreamt it, but she knew she was conscious when she felt a strong arm around her waist in bed. It definitely wasn't morning, and she couldn't have been asleep for an hour before a set of hushed voices woke her.

"Do you trust him, Hermione? You know, around her, with her..." she heard Harry's voice trail off.

"I trust Audrey's judgement enough. She's far from stupid. Have you noticed that he didn't call me a mudblood once tonight? Not even while she wasn't in the room. She's changing him, and he's letting her," she spoke softly. Audrey nearly burst into tears, but remained calm to keep her cover of 'sleeping'. 

"I was thinking the same. That was all. I wanted to know what you thought."

"Good night, Harry," she said, and he returned it before the room fell silent again. 

Knowing that they trusted her made her feel better about how she felt about Draco. She absolutely didn't intend on feeling it, but it was there, and from the way he acted around her and what he told her about how he treated other girls, she hoped he felt the same. She hoped she was the different one.


	18. spoiled rotten.

On the last day before Christmas break, she was sat in DADA, revising summoning curses and incantations. She was sat at the back, Draco accompanying her on the desk as Moody (well, Barty) drawled on about water summoning. Her and Draco had grown closer in the past two weeks and she found herself missing him while he was gone. They'd gotten strangely domestic with each other. He'd taken her to Hogsmeade more than enough, and he'd even held her hand in public while they were there. However, there still wasn't a label to whatever they had going on.

"And somebody in this room," Moody signalled to her, "Summoned 'aguamenti' not even two months ago," he started limping towards her and grabbed the fabric of the robes on her shoulder, signalling she get up. He pushed against her shoulder until she was at the front of the class, about thirty or forty sets of eyes on her.

"Professor Snape says you shouldn't be taught spells so strong, I say different!" he said, similar to when he introduced them to the unforgivables. "Now, Miss Crouch, when did you learn to perform such spells?"

"School, last year, sir," she almost whispered. She hated classroom atmosphere, especially at Hogwarts, where almost nobody knew her. She just looked at the ground in front of her.

"See! You're being deprived of learning! Miss Crouch's education could rival a seventh year! You know, in France you'd have been finishing school in a years' time!"

It was true. Because Audrey started the Advanced content so early, she could've finished next year. But she was here.

"Professor, can I sit down?" she asked, almost whispering again. What was he trying to make an example of?

"Sit, see me after this class," he said to her relief. What was he trying to do? Draco had his head in his hands as if he were asleep. She sat for the rest of the lesson, wondering what he could possibly want.

Just as the clock chimed, he spoke again in urgency.

"Professor Dumbledore said that after neglect the whole year, there's a Quidditch tournament this weekend. All houses of Hogwarts, two Durmstrang under 17s and two teams made of the girls from France. He's trusting you, Miss Crouch, to have that in order," he growled before dismissing them with a wave of his hand. Draco's interest peaked and was smirking at Audrey.

"I'll see you upstairs," he whispered, before being the last to leave. She shut the door behind Draco and turned to the man at the front of the class.

"Well fucking sit down," he raged. He'd always had a short temper, and she thought it probably factored in when she thought about his rebellion. She waited ten minutes before the polyjuice wore off. "Amycus is coming with Fudge and Fudge Jr to watch you play," he sighed.

"Did they tell you what happened the other week?" she asked after a pause.

"I seen you in the paper, but why were you there? You should've been here," he gritted.

"It was to try and convince me to marry him. He's been saying it for years, but he got his fucking Mother on me, laying it on thick, mind," she said, and his brows rose.

"He'd been arranging that for a while," he looked out the window, thinking on something, "I'm gonna kill him."

He had said this all of his life, but now she thought that everything lined up pretty well for him. She'd have somewhere to live, even if it's with Louis Fudge. He's close enough to her Father to do it seamlessly. And he'd obviously escaped her Father's imperius for a reason, so there must be something that's going on out there. The stuff that happened at the Quidditch final probably wasn't a coincidence.

"Barty, he's all I've got-"

"But you've got me! I'm here," he gritted. Why was he angry? "Tell me though. Is he really there? For you? He's clearly not invested in what you want."

"Barty I don't have you. You chose what you wanted. I don't want that-"

"But wouldn't like to live in a world that's pure? A world a wizard would be proud to live in?" he spoke passionately. She wondered where it came from. She certainly wasn't indoctrinated.

"Nothing is pure. I'd rather live in this reality than take an order from my dead cousin desperate for eternal life," she said and he rolled his eyes.

"You don't understand. You do have me. I'll get rid of him, Audrey. And if you tell anyone, I'll get rid of you too," he said with malice.

"But Barty-"

"You know why you were born, don't you? If I were a girl you wouldn't be here. The prophecy clearly says a Crouch woman merges the four greatest families-"

"What? Prophecy?"

"He didn't tell you?" she shook her head, confused to the point she nearly was sick, "It's your prophecy. A Crouch woman, born from Gaunt, born of great decent merges the four strongest of strong bloodlines sealed in an heir, blood purest of any wizard to have tread the grass on any Earth. A child born in the coldest winter night will be the harbourer of Magic, and will follow in the footsteps of a fallen Wizard, once mighty," he looked to her as if she should understand, or if she should comply.

"Barty, I get what you mean, but what does it have to do with Father?"

"Are you really stupid?" he seethed and at the moment, she felt like she was missing something obvious, "Father only let Mother have another after she told him about the stupid prophecy! She wanted another after you but he just wouldn't. And now he's trying to make you marry that Fudge oaf. But here's the catch, Audrey. Dear old Cornelius is a bastard half-blood, so it doesn't matter if the spawn is half a Carrow," he droned and she quickly came up with questions.

"But what if the seer was wrong?"

"Well then it's wrong, isn't it? But I know it isn't, you see. It was made by Tyco Dodonus a century ago. Not until now has there been a Crouch-Gaunt daughter who's lived long enough for it to be true," his eyes were wide while he spoke to her. "A child of yours is going to be the harbourer of Magic. Following in the footsteps of a great wizard. Who would it be? Merlin? One of the four founders? Grindelwald? That oaf upstairs? Or it's cousin?"

\------------------------------------

-AUDREY'S POV-

"Lovely marriage refusal, Audrey. No, really. Credits to you. Well done," a voice from my doorway drawled. It made me sick.

"Thanks, Louis. Next time I think you should look a bit more furious. They might give you a pacifier to calm your temper."

There was always the joke going around school that he was extremely dependent on his parents, and the girls always hounded him for it, but I always felt specially obliged to joke on it. I hoped grinding his gears would put him off marrying me, but it seemed to encourage him more.

"Spoilt rotten for choice, hm?"

I was currently looking at the conglomerate of brooms stood in the corner, trying to decide which to take to the games.

"You must understand the struggle. I bet you have sippy cups in every shade," I bit the inside of my cheek before picking up my newest broom; the Thunderbolt VII. 

"Don't get fucking snarky with me," he growled. I wasn't scared of him as I was scared of Amycus. With him, he was just bloody repulsive. "You better lose the attitude before next week."

"What's happening next week? Your christening?"

"The fucking ball, Girly. You're coming with me. Uncle's orders."

See, Draco hadn't actually asked me yet. I wasn't even sure if he intended on going. But if it was 'uncles orders', then I obviously have no choice. It was always going to be like this, and last year I realised that the quicker I accepted it, the easier it would be. 

"I'll prepare a nappy bag to take with me then."

My wrist was ragged behind me, turning me around to face him. Before I could collect myself, I felt a harsh slap to my face, then his hand in my hair, pulling my head back to look him in the eye.

"I think you need to consider the fact that you can't watch a child twenty four hours a day. Don't get attached. I'll kill my own flesh and blood to see you cry one day, Girly."

"I'd never cry over someone as pathetic as you," I rasped. I'd never cried because of him. Ever. Not when he'd hurt me. Not even when he'd tell me about the things he was going to do to me and our 'daughters'. He was a sick fucker. He deserved to decay somewhere. Slowly. He'd obviously seen me cry when Amycus or Alecto were fucking me about, but he'd never had the satisfaction of making me cry.

"Oh, you will. And I'll even let you dry your tears on my creamed fucking boxers," he laughed. "Now, get ready for your game. No wife of mine should be playing a game created for men, but you already know that."

\--------------------------

Doing what I do best, I shook it off for the games. We were playing all day, non-stop and I was quite excited. My two teams were the teams we'd always had. My team was slightly stronger, and Rose was captain and beater. She was best suited for it, she could make good decisions on impulse while trying to avoid hard, out of control balls, but I would hyperventilate on the broom trying to figure out what the question being asked was really asking. Ombrelune and Bellefuille sounded like girl-ish names, but we were all extremely competitive. The roster for the first matches were pretty decent.

OMBRELUNE V RAVENCLAW

GRYFFINDOR V DURMSTRANG I

HUFFLEPUFF V BELLEFUILLE

SLYTHERIN V DURMSTRANG II

From what I'd heard, Ravenclaw wasn't the best team. It was Slytherin I was told to watch out for. Ravenclaws seemed more suited to academic skills. Because they were under 17s, Krum wasn't a problem. If he was, I'd be shitting bricks.

Just to our luck, our match was first, and I'll tell you- we mopped the stands with them. Cho was good competition, but she didn't have a very good broom. Slytherin cheered for us, presumably because I was in their house, but who knows. I think every Hogwarts student who wasn't in Ravenclaw hoped we would win. The house rivalry here is pretty sad, to be honest.

Much to my liking, we had a break and got to watch Hufflepuff versus Bellefuille. Again, the French were on it. The match lasted quite long, but the Bellefuille seeker, Emilie, managed to catch the snitch between her feet. Odd approach, but alright.

The Gryffindor and Durmstrang match was boring. It must have been the weaker Bulgairan team, because they were thrashed by Gryffindor. But then I was proven wrong when Slytherin owned the stadium just as much. But, watching Draco whiz about gave me butterflies. At one point, the snitch was near us and he shot me a wink. My insides turned inside-out.

I really couldn't believe that the Bulgarians had been eliminated all together, but at the same time, there had been comments from Hufflepuffs saying that they didn't think us girls would be very good either.

The match against Gryffindor was difficult and long. The snitch was off hiding somewhere for half of the game instead of taunting us into chasing it. It was more annoying being oblivious. I wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't had seen Harry suddenly bolt away, but soon after, we couldn't see it again. We were squinting at the side of the pitch for ages trying to locate it. My Father, Fudge, Amycus and Louis were in the seats behind us and I felt disgustingly pressured. Fudge was speaking to a man I could only assume was a Governor of some sort. He had obnoxious long blond hair and a permanent sneer. When I turned back to look at them once, he raised his brow at me, nodding towards the match, in a 'telling off' sort of manner.

Long story short, I caught the snitch by the skin on my teeth. Harry was millimetres away and it dipped, straight out of his reach and straight into mine. Really, he should have won, but he wasn't a sore loser about it.

Slytherin versus Bellefuille was an entertaining watch. They were neck and neck until Draco popped up from under the stands with the golden ball in his hand. Draco and I against each other again wouldn't be great.

My team, the Gryffindor team and the Slytherin team had late lunch together, the Great Hall to ourselves while the Durmstrangs had a friendly against eachother.

"Good game, Potter. Entertainment quality sitting on your broom by the stands," I heard Draco's voice approach. I was the first sat down for lunch. Of course, I'd had a decent breakfast but I was hungry, and lunch was a meal I tended to skip out of habit.

"I'm telling you, Malfoy. I couldn't see it. Neither could she," Harry exasperated, and I found that they were walking along opposite sides of the table we were instructed to share. Harry plopped down opposite me, while Draco sat next to me.

"Hope you're ready, dear. I won't go easy on you. I'd pile my plate with carbs if I were you. I reckon you'll need the energy to keep up with me," he smirked, piling salad on his plate with some chicken.

"We'll see, love," I said, carefully putting a slice of pizza on my plate with some fries. Food has to look nice on the plate to eat it, no questions asked. Call me particular, but I'm a woman of presentation. Nevertheless, it was nice, but I was about to stand to leave early, but Draco's hand caught my wrist.

"Darling, eat a little bit more. One slice won't do you any good. You've left those chips. The elves will get upset," he coaxed. He always did this. The other day he commented that I was eating less, but it was far from intentional. Here, there's been nothing to burn energy doing, so I haven't been hungry. But he wouldn't take it. Mentioning the elves, he knew, would get me to sit back down.

"Alright, but I'm not eating dessert. If I eat chocolate cake, however tempting, I will be sick in the Stadium," I mumbled, resuming my food.

When he was satisfied I had eaten enough (as if he were my Mother) we left the hall to get ready for the last game.

"Winner gets to go on the bottom tonight," he whispered just as we were leaving the courtyard.

"Since when do you like it on the bottom?" I whispered back. He was always one for control in the bedroom.

"What man wouldn't want a woman to ride him?" he asked seriously, as if I was being the stupid one.

"Oh yeah, silly me."

\-------------------------

"You're bloody killing me, dear."

Audrey and Draco were kissing under the spray of the shower, having just washed each other's hair, which he took the opportunity to move his hands downwards to her breasts, massaging them in his large hands and was grinding his erection on her thigh as he did so.

Of course, Draco won the match. She was positive that she'd hear his snarky remarks after they've fulfilled his request. He timed those well with her.

"Go and dry yourself and wait for me in bed. Believe me when I say I can't control myself much longer," he growled into her neck before turning her towards the shower door.

She decided that a drying charm would be best, rather than a towel. She left her hair a little damp so it was ringlet-like down her back. She desperately needed it cut. It was nearly at the peak of her arse cheek now, and she found it harder to present as neat as she always does.

When he emerged from the bathroom, he found her laying on her stomach, legs waving in the air with a coy smile on her face.

"Back against the pillows," he demanded, and she scurried to get there.

When he waltzed over, he immediately placed his head between her legs and began sucking and biting the skin on her inner thighs before he's even got himself comfortable. She mewled; music to his ears.

As his attack inched closer to her core, she grew more wet with anticipation, one of her hands scrunched the perfect sheets on her bed, whilst the other played with her breast, a sight that he'd brand into his brain if he could.

Out of nowhere, his tongue flattened, rubbing slowly on her clit. She flinched, but reacted to it instantly, moving her hips around to get the speed she wanted, but he was reluctant to give. Just as she was about to groan for more, he inserted two digits into her, tongue still working slowly on her clit and she almost wept.

"Oh, Draco, please," she panted, her fist gripping the sheets so much, her knuckles were stark white.

"What are you asking for now?" he pulled away, spoke then blew on her clit, making her writhe.

"Please just fuck me, Draco," she blurted. It wasn't two seconds before he was kneeling upright, fingers still pumping in and out slowly.

"Suck my cock, darling, come on," he removed his fingers from her cunt to beckon her to him before putting them in his mouth, sucking them clean. He nearly bit down on them when her tongue flicked over his tip, curling as she did so. Suddenly, she plunged onto him, taking as much of him as humanly possible, taking care of the rest with her hand. She was resting on her hands, arse in the air and he thought the view would actually make him finish on the spot.

"So good at that, aren't you?" he hummed, his hands finding their way to bury themselves in her hair. She hummed a 'mhm' while his cock was nearer the back of her throat, and his head dipped back. He pulled her off him before he came right then and there.

"Spin around. Lie on your front," he grumbled impatiently. He wanted her in prone.

When she was comfortably lying there, he teased himself, rubbing his slippery member on her arse cheeks, hands gripping her thighs.

"Draco, please," she whimpered, looking over her shoulder in wanton.

"You want me to fill you up?"

She'd never nodded and said 'yes please' faster in her life.

He thrust into her entrance, his elbows buckled a little as he fell onto her back, groaning with her.

"You feel so good, Audrey."

"Draco, move, please," she exasperated and he complied, regaining his posture and gripping her his, slamming himself into her- repeatedly.

His pace wasn't ever consistent. One minute he was going at a merciless pace, superhuman even, and the sound of his skin coming into contact with hers only motivated him. Her hands were held behind her back by one of his, and when he felt that she was anywhere near close, he'd drive himself as deep as possible, pushing as hard as he could for a few seconds, repeat, repeat. Back to pounding.

She thought she was going to die, if she were honest. That is, until he pulled out of her abruptly with a slap on her arse, just as she begun to think he'd let her finish.

"Ride me, slut," he panted, gripping her hip to turn her over then lying in the warm section of the bed where her small frame was once almost going through.

When she had her legs settled either side of him, she rested on his thighs for a short time, stroking him in the hopes he'd finish so that she could. She was desperate. 

As she positioned herself over him and sank down, his eyes scrunched up and his hands shot to her hips, guiding her down to bottom out. She circled herself, getting re-acquainted with the positionings of nerve endings inside of her before rising and sinking back down. 

Her hands found his chest to support herself and she felt his legs move to raise his lower end, thrusting upwards to meet her while her legs almost gave out as he hit the right spot, making her moan with every thrust.

"'m close," he grunted, gripping her hips and turning them over, the roles reversing as he was now on top, driving himself into her hard and rapidly.

"Draco, Draco, Draco," she tried to say the same to him, but it came out as her just repeating his name, much to his appreciation.

When his thumb came to massaging her clit, she unravelled, her insides clenching violently around him while she screamed into his shoulder, nails scratching down his back while she climaxed.

When she felt him thrust harshly and still for a moment, she simultaneously felt him filling her up as he muttered incoherently into her ear, something along the lines of 'fuck, you're phenomenal'.

He collapsed onto her, panting near her pulse point, giving her butterflies.

"Get cleaned up, doll. I'll run you a bath," he murmured, placing a kiss on her lips and staggering to the bathroom. Yes, they'd just showered, but he fancied a late night bath.

\-----------------

"I don't mean to pry, but how aren't you up the duff? You don't tell me to pull out. Quite the opposite, actually," he smirked. He ran their baths and they faced each other while they bathed, as usual.

"I'm on a muggle pill that a healer charms for me. In the muggle world, they're however many percent effective, so she charms them so they're one hundred percent," she rambled, massaging her legs.

"How?" he blurted, making her laugh. "I mean, what does it do?"

"I don't know, Draco. It stops something because it stops my monthly's as well," she laughed, "I got put on it on order of a healer, saying that I shouldn't have been bleeding as much as I was," she finished.

"Erm, what? It couldn't have been that bad, surely-"

"Draco, I'm not having this argument with you," she giggled, holding her palm up to stop him from speaking.

"Alright, dear," he sighed before speaking again, "my back's bloody aching," he whined.

"Wonder bloody why," she laughed, evoking a cheeky grin from him.

"I don't even think it's that. I don't think men were designed to be hunched over a broom all bloody day," he rubbed his back as he spoke.

"And you think I am? My arms are dying," she gripped her upper arms, groaning at the pull in her muscles.

"Slave labour for their entertainment, ey? Did you see who was in the staff and visitor's stand? I never got chance."

"My Father actually turned up. I think that's the first time he's seen me play, to be honest. Amycus was there too. Plus Fudge and Louis. There was this blond man between Fudge and Snape that I couldn't recognise-"

"Long hair? Resting twatty expression?"

"Not to be rude, but yes," she muttered.

"That's my Father. Trust me when I say that the twatty expression translates inwards," he grumbled, rubbing soap between his hands.

"I turned to peek into the stands during the Gryffindor match and he scolded me with his eyes and nodded his head towards the game. Quite a scary bloke, Draco," she murmured, rubbing her own shoulders.

"He's pathetic, if anything. Had any trouble today?"

"Louis came here this morning."

He paused, his eyes lighting on fire.

"And you didn't tell me sooner because?"

"Well, it wasn't that bad. Speaking of, I'd like to go back to my house. I need to find my O.W.L.S results paper-"

"Don't change the subje- Wait. You've done O.W.L.S already?"

"Yeah I done them before I left. But I started two years before Hogwarts students," she said.

"Remarkable. Anyways, what did he do? Did he lay a hand on you?"

"Draco, I've told you, I'm going to my house. You could always look in the Pensieve," she rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, I never thought. My Mother certainly never had a study like that, nevermind owned a Pensieve," he smirked.

"I thought Malfoy Manor was massive. What do you mean 'a study like that'?"

"The study we visited had children's books, pictures you'd drawn. Photos of you and your brother and father all over. My mother's study's been untouched for ages," he said.

"Why? I spent most of my time in there with her when I was young. Either there or outside with Barty," she reminisced.

"I played outside by myself. We have lots of land, but there's only so much a lad could do on his own. Then I spent time with Mother attending places with her. I must say that the compliments from middle-aged women boosted my eight year-old ego," he smiled.

"I couldn't imagine being an only child. It seems cruel in a way. Mother begged my father to have another child, but when I was born, Barty was seventeen. I'd never have just one child. I'd feel like I'd spoil them out of guilt."

"So basically my Mother," he laughed. "I'd be the same, but I'd spoil a child of mine regardless of how many there are," he shrugged.

"What would be your limit?"

"I want a big family. Father would say things that made me internally guilty for it, but I couldn't care less anymore," he spoke, "How many are you willing to push out?"

"I want a daughter. The Crouch and Gaunt lines are almost all male. Me and my mother were anomalies," she stated.

"Malfoy kids are hard to come by. I was their sixth try after 4 miscarriages and a stillborn. I was meant to be a twin as well, but it didn't live. I'd have had a sister," he smiled.

"That would have been nice to have someone your age. I used to wonder why Barty never wanted to skip around the garden in princess get up," she giggled. "My kids will beat your kids up at school."

"My kids will be your kids," he smirked.

"Bet. Ten galleons."

"Just you watch, Crouch."


	19. denial.

Draco watched what had happened that morning and nearly went after him straight after he came from the Pensieve. She apparated them back just as he lifted his head from it, which made him dizzy, which he used as an excuse to stay in her room. Again. He tried to speak to her about the ball, saying that he just assumed they'd be going together, but she managed to convince him that going against what Louis said would get her into Amycus's bad books ready for Christmas day, so he reluctantly agreed.

She was kept up for a fair amount of time because of his tossing and playing with her hair, which he definitely thought she was oblivious to. He was like a toddler who wouldn't bloody settle down. When he did settle, it was after she got up to use the loo, and came back to cuddle.

When she woke up, she found herself in a compromised position. He was on her, head on her chest, whispering things into her pyjamas in his sleep.

"Audrey, you're going to be fine. It's not hurting yo- fuck off," she faintly heard him mumble. She giggled and his rough voice and decided it was as good a time as any to wake him up.

"Draco," she shook his shoulders, and she seen his eyes open before he turned his head to face the other way, bringing his hands to each other behind her back. He let himself roll off her, pulling her with him so that he was beneath her, and when she was on his chest, he removed his hands from her waist and slid them to the backs of her knees, bending her legs so that they were around him.

"Come with me for the winter holidays," he mumbled into her hair. This caught her off-guard because;

A, she was never sure if he was serious about her or not.

B, she could never imagine his Father appreciating a visit from the dark-haired girl who very nearly scoffed at him whist playing Quidditch.

And C, she didn't think he was the type for bringing girls into his home.

"Um... I don't know what to say," she muttered, lifting her head to look at him, warming his insides with her massive eyes.

"Say yes. I want you to meet my Mum, she'd adore you," he pleaded, giving her hips a squeeze in attempt to tempt her into it.

"But, it's quite a big thing, don't you think?"

"I like big things, dear," he mused.

"Well, what will you say? Hi Mother, this is my friend, Audrey. I bathe in her baths, sleep in her bed, shag her when I get the chance," he laughed at her impression of him and planted a firm kiss to her lips.

"No, no, no. I'll hopefully say; Mum, this is my girlfriend, Audrey," he smiled.

"What do you mean, hopefully?"

"Well, providing you say yes," he smirked, and she suddenly felt something poking her core from the outside of her shorts as he shuffled a bit, smirk still on his face.

"Well, I suppose I'd be open to the idea-"

He interrupted her with a kiss to her lips and a grind on her area.

"I'm taking that as a gracious, honoured 'yes'," he smirked, hands moving downwards to grip her arse.

"Alright, but I'll need to think about you're request from earlier," she trailed off, her eyes looking to his seriously.

"Better do it later, love. You won't be able to think for a while," he growled into her ear.

"I think I'll be just as sharp as ever, thanks," she teased, rubbing herself on him a little.

"Well then you're in denial, aren't you? Now let me fuck your brains out, please," he kissed her pulse point between his words, his hands running up and down her hips.

She sat up, grinding her hips on his. Now she was the needy one.

"Fucking hell, Audrey," he gritted his teeth, hands squeezing her hips, groin rubbing against hers. Even dry-humping, he was in euphoria.

She lifted one of her legs over him, so that she was on one side of him before pulling the covers out of the way completely, and pulling down his grey boxers that he knew she loved oh-so-much.

His cock sprang, brushing passed her lip while she meticulously placed his boxers comfortably underneath where his base began. When she looked up at him through her eyelashes, gripping his base, he threw his head back. If he didn't want to shoot his load now, then he couldn't watch. Her pretty mouth did things to him.

Her tongue licked from his base to his slit and he nearly cried. She continued with petty, teasing licks on his tip paired with her hand going up and down on him. She was teasing, and she wanted him to whine like he'd heard her do. But this was Draco Malfoy. He whined for no woman in bed.

"Teasing little slut," he growled, slapping her hands away, riving her mouth open and thrusting himself in, making her gag, "That's it. Fucking choke. Suck now," he said, pulling his hands from her head to rest softly on the back of her neck. He deterred for a minute when she moved it away but the thought escaped him when she tugged his hand to her breast, his finger instinctively brushing over her erect nipple under her shirt, earning him a moan that went through his cock, right through his body.

He pulled her off to make sure he didn't explode in her pretty mouth, and was met with a smirking raven-haired girl, her hair perfect as always, her hand at the base of his cock with her pretty pink nipples protruding from underneath her shirt. How was he so.... lucky? It cringed him to think about it but he could've painted her for hours if it meant she could hang on his wall for eternity.

"I'm going to fucking ravish you," he growled, turning her and pushing her down to rest on the pillows, pulling her shorts down and off.

Going over the marks he made, plus making new ones, he sucked and nipped at her inner thighs, and every so often, he'd stop and look at her, his warm exhales on her core, making her writhe.

At one point, he dipped his head back down, lapping at her folds like she were his last meal, and the way she bucked her hips made the bed shake a bit, the headboard collided with the wall, dragging a chuckle from him.

"Desperate, love? Tell me what you want," he muttered lowly, paying little attention to her clit to rile her up.

"Draco, fill me up, please. Fuck me, please," she muttered, her head going from side to side as he kept antagonisingly avoiding her clit.

"Only because you asked no nicely," he growled, taking his head from between her legs while trying to decide on what perspective and position he wanted to take her from today. "Hands and knees, slut," he demanded, and she couldn't get there fast enough.

When her back was arched in front of him he let out a groan, lightly slapping her arse.

"You're stunning," he mumbled, positioning himself at her entrance, "Fuck yourself on me."

When she pushed her hips back, a lovely feminine moan filled the room, and it was music to Draco's ears.

She was in control, and she found the angle that hit home every time, so she used it to her advantage. When her hand went down to rub her clit before she pushed backwards, his hands halted her.

"On your back. Now,"

She turned, whining as she did so, and when he seen her in front of him, legs spread, a hand cupping her breast, face of anticipation, something clicked.

He claimed her hips, riving her to him before he became restless. The place she was hitting before was being hit again, fast and hard. She genuinely couldn't formulate words, and all Draco heard were pathetic mewls and parts of words that he recognised as 'good', 'fuck' and 'oh my god'.

"Draco, 'm gonna come," she mumbled into his ear, her lips on his earlobe sending him round the bend.

"Come then."

After his permission, she let herself unravel, letting Draco's thrusts take over her. Her walls clenched around him and it motivated him, but when she didn't feel him shooting into her, and still felt him moving animalistically inside of her, she whined.

She was sensitive, and he took advantage, driving himself deeper so the centre of his pelvis pressed against her clit.

He put a hand to her thigh, bringing it over his shoulder, creating a new, magnificent angle that drove her to the edge again. Before she could say anything, he growled into her ear.

"I'm gonna fucking cum," he was breathless, but continued, "fill you up," he muttered before removing her leg from his shoulder, finally giving the attention her clit needed, applying pressure.

One thrust in particular sent her off the cliff again. It was deep, and she drove her feet into his backside, holding him there for a while.

He circled his hips inside of her while he hummed to himself, and when she started clenching around him, she milked him of his release while he muttered incoherently into her neck.

They lay there for ages, just next to each other or on each other, in comfortable silence and frequent kisses.

\------------------------------

-AUDREY'S POV-

"Now where have you been? You didn't come to breakfast, not did you come to dinner last night," Hermione's stern voice addressed. I was in the Great Hall and I decided to walk over to where they sat after Draco told me he was going to talk to Theo Nott.

"I was umm... relaxing," I mustered, unaware that Draco had walked up behind me, smirk plastered on his face.

"Some bloody relaxing, doll. My back's in tatters, I'll tell you," he mused, handing me a peice of paper, voice dripping with amusement.

"Bloody hell, Malfoy! I ought to take back my whip comments," Ron blurted.

"I wouldn't speak to soon, Ron," I said, eyes still on Draco, getting a lovely laugh from him. "What's this?"

"You slipped your O.W.L.S results into my robes last night. I thought it right to return them when I realised... after I skimmed over them," he grinned and I snatched it away. It wasn't a matter of seconds before Hermione screeched at the mention of O.W.L.S.

"O.W.L.S?! How could you have possibly done your O.W.L.S? You were only a third year!"

"Actually, Hermione, in Beauxbatons I was a fifth year. I was supposed to take N.E.W.T.S next year," I explained and she looked at me in disbelief.

"Can we see them?" Harry asked and I nodded.

"Let's see it then," he held his hand out, and I placed the paper in his hands. His eyes widened looking at them.

"DEFENCE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS- O

CHARMS- O

TRANSFIGURATION- O

HERBOLOGY- E

POTIONS- O (TOP MARKS)

HISTORY OF MAGIC- O

ASTRONOMY- O

CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES- O

DIVINATION- O

MUGGLE MUSIC- O (TOP MARKS)

QUIDDITCH- O (TOP MARKS)

How the fuck did you not get anything less than exceeding expectations?!" he exclaimed.

"I don't know. I wasn't graded by Carrow, for starters. I'd have got 'Dreadful' in all of them," I said, sliding into the seat next to Harry. Draco stood behind me and rubbed my shoulder, looking at the paper over Harry's shoulder. After the discussion this morning, he seemed far more touchy, but he'd always had a thing for metaphorical ownership of me, so perhaps he wanted people to know.

"Still. We're on a nine course maximum. You took eleven courses! How did you do it?"

"I worked for it?" I said, unintentionally sounding like he'd asked a stupid question. asking a stupid question.

"Fucking hell. I'll be sending you in to do my papers. Maybe not Herbology," Draco grinned.

"Cheeky git. I was one mark from an 'O' as well," I giggled and he bent to kiss my cheek, whispering a small 'see you' in my ear before leaving me sat with the troublesome trio.

"He seems over the fucking moon. What'd you do? Let him teabag you?" Ron asked, swiftly earning him a dig on the arm from Hermione, but I just laughed.

"Not at all. He asked me to be his girlfriend this morning," I smiled, and Hermione started smirking immediately.

"And you said yes?" Harry asked.

"No, Harry. Draco is jolly about his rejection this morning," I said, sarcastically, making Harry shoot me a glare.

"You know what I bloody meant. I'm happy for you. Three of us are. You seem to know what you're doing with him, regardless if he behaves like a stroppy toddler or not," he joked, making Ron laugh.

"Yeah, you've changed him. I know you've only been here since September but bloody hell! He didn't even sneer at us once. He never even gave 'Mione a dirty look. He's either changing, or really bloody whipped, or both," he munched on a sausage, speaking with his mouth open. It looked cute on Ron, but if it were anyone else, I'd have been repulsed. Draco thought different, obviously.

"I think he's changed too," I said, fondly. He really had changed for the better, "Can I have your advice on something?"

"Anything," Hermione said, growing serious.

"He asked me to go with him for winter break. I would've just stayed at school, but-"

"If you're taking tolerance tablets for Draco, then I'd double- no, triple your dosage if you think about going in there. His Father is fifty times worse than he was at the start of the year. Only, he probably won't have a creepy affection for you," he warned. For fucks sake.

"Yeah, Audrey. My Dad works with him, and he's kind of repulsive," Ron commented. So that's why he only mentioned his Mum when he asked...

"Boys, stop. Audrey shouldn't make the decision based on your opinions of Draco's father, however vile he may be. Audrey, if he wants you to, he's obviously quite serious about you. Consider it. For him," she smiled and I nodded.

"Thanks-"

"Audrey, it's the twenty-first!" Rose's voice shrieked from behind me. The twenty-first of December was a day, since our second year, that we'd have a drink with our friends to celebrate Christmas before we all left school. We skip dinner for it and one of us sources food, each taking turns each year. It's my year, to my lack of luck. This year, we weren't leaving until later, but she was a traditionalist. I couldn't decline her of a party.

"Fuck, I forgot. Whose coming?" I felt frantic. It was already 1pm and we usually started at 6.

"Well, a little blond birdy told me you have a boyfriend since this morning, which I'll be hearing about later. Invite these three and blondie. I don't want too many people this time 'round," she shrugged, grinning.

"Guys, you're all going to come to my room at five fifty-five later. Don't have dinner. Any of you have allergies?" I still felt fucking frazzled.

"Erm, no," Hermione drawled, and I muttered a 'good' before getting up, rushing upstairs.

\-----------------------------------

-DRACO'S POV-

I'd first heard about this absurd 'ritual' from Rose at dinner. When she waltzed over to Audrey I could tell she'd given it no thought. I don't blame her. For someone who's excelling in studies, handles me on the daily, is winning a global tournament and still manages to have her hair lay perfectly in waves down her back fucking baffled me.

When I rushed upstairs to her room, there was no trace of her, only an owl pecking at her window. The poor bastard looked like he'd been pecking away at the pane for half a lifetime.

I retrieved it's letters, one with a fancy arse seal on the back and small package. When I turned to put them on her bedside, the letter she put there the other weekend peeked through another letter, both had the same wax seal crest as the one in my hand, however the one on the top of the small pile was broken, and the flap of the envelope was flapped open.

It wouldn't hurt to read it, would it?

She doesn't have do find out, does she?

Therefore what she doesn't know will never hurt her.

I placed the most recent one next to the other two before picking up the opened one, and before I knew it, my nosy arse was reading it.

Girly,

You better read this. I want you to recite it. Aloud.

You'll go to that damn ball with Louis. No nephew of mine will go by himself. He needs a woman on his arm. You're hardly a woman, but you know how he is with you. Don't know why he's infatuated with vermin like you.

You'll let him do whatever he wants with you. If he wants his way with you, you'll open your legs and comply. If not, I'll see to it that you're punished appropriately.

Apologies for the formality, I'd be damned if a girl as stupid as you can read and comprehend the letter. But you know what I expect.

Insincerely,

Uncle Carrow.

"Draco? What are you doing?"

He should've known better not to let his guard down.

If he hadn't, he would have heard the apparition upon her arrival.

But it was too late. She was there, pale, eyes trained on his hands holding the written violation. Her eyes themselves were glassy and her voice was just above a whisper.

He'd cocked everything up.

Again.


	20. easy-peelers.

"Draco, what are you doing?" she repeated, voice breaking.

She stood there holding various pieces of paper, her handbag over her forearm and her eyes trained on me, waiting for my explanation. Her hair was shorter than it had been in the morning, and instead of sitting near the bottom of her arse, it was just just beyond her elbows, in perfect curls. But we weren't there to talk about her hair. I needed an explanation. Fast.

"Umm, well I-" I could've jumped from Dumbledore's office window.

"Draco I'm waiting. Because from what I can see, you asked to be my boyfriend," she threw the papers in her hands on the bed then looked at the Muggle watch on her hands, "not even nine hours ago, now you're suddenly entitled to read post of mine that happens to have a broken bloody seal!" she shouted. She looked beyond pissed, and from what she said, it sounded like she hadn't read it herself.

"Have you seen what this sick bastard's writing to you? Why didn't you tell me about these?" I seethed.

"Yes, Draco, I did bloody tell you about them! I didn't open it on purpose, the wax broke. I haven't read any of them because I didn't want him to have the satisfaction!" she exasperated, fists balled at her sides. Merlin, if she could throw a hard punch when she was calm, I'd hate to be in her bad books when she's angry. Oh, wait! I AM.

"Well, forgive me, but I didn't think they would be like this, or I would've said something a while ago! I'm going to assume that this is the worst, because I couldn't imagine getting sicker. He's telling you to let him fucking rape you for Merlin's sake!" I shouted. She flinched a little when I slammed the paper onto the bedside and I shattered internally. "No, don't do that," I cooed, almost letting a tear slip.

"Do what, Draco? Flinch because you're overreacting over something I shouldn't be at the back end of? Oh, I'd like to, but you won't ever give me the opportunity! I haven't bloody fucking read them, so how would I know how sick they are? Only you would know, seeing as you're suddenly allowed to open my PISSING POST!"

She really was fucking fuming. I'd never seen her so.... utterly enraged. This version of angry Audrey wasn't the sexy one I had once got a fat boner over. This one was fucking scary.

"Look, I'm sorry, but you need to do something about these! You said you won't give him the satisfaction, but that doesn't mean you don't have to not read them! These letters are regarding you. Just don't reply. Look, you need to do something about these," I sighed, but instantly recognised my mistake.

"YOU THINK I WANT TO FUCKING READ THOSE?!"

"No, I didn't exactly say that, I-" I stammered, while she stomped over, slapping me aside while she pushed to grab the letter, followed by the ones in the drawer.

"Here," she pushed them all to my chest, "You fucking read them if you're so bloody desperate," she spat before storming to the bathroom, slamming the door. In my hands, there must have been fifteen letters at least. 

I heard the bath running and I slumped on her bed, putting the letters beside me. Reading them would prove her point, not like it hadn't been proven already. However cruel and wrong they were, I realised that she felt like she couldn't do anything. The more I sought for a solution, the more I realised how trapped she must really have felt.

If she brought them to anyone in school, he could say that it wasn't him. I knew the Carrows had lots of human maids, so he could easily blame any of them, and claim they had a history in St. Mungo's, because Lord knows their recording system is bollocks. He could even say they're fake.

If she wrote back in retaliation, her experience in that house by herself would worsen, and she'd really be giving him the satisfaction of knowing it got to her.

If she told her Father, he either won't believe it, pass it off as a joke, or would tell her to live with Louis for the summer.

If she went against the letter, the treats in the singular one I read were off-putting enough.

It must have been an hour that I'd sat on the edge of her bed, running through every possible situation and scenario in my mind, because my thoughts were disturbed by her opening the bathroom door wearing a silk pyjama set with her hair tied back. She looked somewhat surprised to see me still here when her caramel eyes met mine.

"I didn't read them. I've invaded your privacy too much already," I muttered, "I'm sorry, Audrey."

"You understand why I can't do much, don't you? You understand why I'd prefer not to read them?" she asked, fiddling with her own fingers.

"As much as I can possibly understand, I do. But I can't fully understand. I've never experienced, or known anyone to go through things like this," I muttered, my eyes prickling, "Nobody deserved this, never mind anyone like you," I must've looked like a blubbering mess, because she walked over and pulling my face close to her, her arms around my neck while she stood between my legs. My arms instantly locked around her waist and she rubbed into my hair. 

How was she not like this every day? I'd be.

"Draco, if it wasn't me, it would be someone else. I wouldn't wish an upbringing like that on any other girl," I nodded into her chest. 

How was she so accepting of it? I wouldn't be.

"And you know that. I'm not going to marry Louis Fudge, but Amycus has an actual claim over me. I'll never get away, Draco," she whispered into my hair.

"Promise me you won't let him do anything come Christmas eve," I mumbled, "I don't want anyone intimate like that with you other than me. Never mind against your will."

"I'll try, Draco," she rubbed my back.

"And promise you'd give me some sort of signal if there's something wrong?"

"Alright, love."

\----------------------------------

The gathering was going well. It turned out that Audrey managed to source some sort of muggle food she called 'chinese' even though it wasn't made in China, but I could tell it was somewhat similar to Chinese food. Thankfully, she didn't make me use chopsticks.

I was sat leaning against the bed, Audrey next to me. Rose was lying down with her head in Audrey's lap, rubbing her full belly and the saintly trio sat opposite us, a pool of bottles separating each trio.

"Never in my life would I have thought I'd be drinking with Draco Malfoy, the boy who lived with three girls present in the room," Ron laughed. I nodded in agreement, as did Potter. Audrey's head came from my shoulder as she spoke next.

"So we're just three girls are we, Ronald?" she rose a brow, and the other two's interest piqued, expecting an answer. He was flabbergasted, obviously not thinking his comment would cause a ricochet, so I dove in.

"Yeah, Weasel. They're women, not robots. How many times must I tell you? You've absolutely objectified them!" I exclaimed, in a mocking tone and Potter joined in.

"Yeah, Ron! Apologise!"

Putting blame on Weasley was just funny. Whatever you could blame him for, it's believable that he could have done it, and watching him try and get out of it is even better.

"I'm sorry if you feel objectified by my comment, I never intended it to be like that," he muttered, looking between them while they giggled at him.

"Guys, I think we should play truths," Potter said, still laughing.

"What makes you think that?" Rose piped up. She'd ate and drank the most out of all of us and I was genuinely wondering how she wasn't comatose, or in cardiac arrest.

"Managed to snag truth serum from Snape's stores," Potter laughed, pulling a bottle from his pocket.

We all agreed. It couldn't be bad, could it? Potter put a few drops in each of our drinks and we took a gulp.

"'Mione first," Potter announced.

"Why me?" she slurred. Granger's off the rails.

"You're the oldest. 19th September. Old woman," he defended.

"Well you've made a mistake there, Potter," I grinned.

"Malfoy you're birthday's 5th of June. You can't possibly-"

"I'm not talking about me, dipshit. Miss Crouch over here was born on the 13th."

"You're sixteen?" Potter asked in disbelief. I was the same. She looks young and mature at the same time, you wouldn't know what to say if someone asked to guess her age.

"Why does everyone ask like that? Yes, Harry, I'm sixteen," she giggled. "Seeing as I'm presumably going first I'll ask Hemione. Have you ever seen a Muggle sex toy?"

Everyone burst into laughter, including me. Of all the things you'd expect to come from her mouth, this was towards the bottom, and she seemed genuinely serious.

"I'm being for real! I was out today looking for things in London with Emilie and we seen these things in a sketchy shop and I've been thinking about them all day! Some of them looked barbaric. Others not so much, but have you seen one like in the flesh?"

She seemed so genuinely curious, and when she said she'd been thinking about them all day, I nearly creamed. She'd been thinking about what one would to themselves with a toy of a nature such as that. Of course, I'd seen them. I even had one or two in my trunk, but I wanted to wait to use them with her.

"I found one in my Mum's bedside when I was looking for socks once, and believe me when I say I never looked for socks in there again!" Granger covered her mouth and flushed red. Potter, Weasley and I were smirking, whilst Rose and Audrey gasped.

"Right, moving on, I get to ask now," she continued. "Malfoy?"

"All ears," I said.

"How am I suddenly tolerable? Why don't you pick on me for being muggle-born nowadays?"

"Would you like me to?" That earned me a smack on the chest from Audrey. "I'm joking. I decided being a racist wasn't getting me anywhere," I shrugged, the truth coming from my moth before I could offer any other excuse. "Before you get sappy it's my turn," I smirked, trying to pick a victim in my head, "Potter."

"Yes, Malfoy?" I smirked.

"Tits, arse or legs?" the girls erupted into scoffs Potter and Weasel looked thoughtful.

"Tits. Final answer," Potter gave, then I looked at Weasel, who looked like he had an answer in mind.

"Yeah, same here."

"Malfoy. Same question," Potter asked.

"Mate, I'm an arse man for life," I smirked, my hand squeezed some of Audrey's hip that was near my hand while my arm was around her. "Looks like it's my turn again, so I'm curious. Girls, all of you. Favourite male body part?"

"Hands," Rose blurted and Granger gave her look that said 'good shout'.

"Neck," Granger stated quite proudly, and suddenly we were all waiting for an answer from my Audrey.

"What will it be, Little Miss Perfect?" Rose mumbled, sipping her drink that I swear was full two minutes beforehand.

"Mouth," she sighed, rubbing circles on my leg. I may know a bit about that.

"I'm asking next," Rose said firmly, sitting herself up. "Audrey, I've never been drunk enough to ask, and I want to know what really happened during summer. You said you went to the Manor, but you weren't in the carriages," she slurred.

"At Amycus's house in France," she shrugged, then spoke again. "My turn. Harry, who did you smell in the love potion when me and Draco made it?"

The plot fucking thickens. Sometimes I'd wonder why she was put in Slytherin, rather than another house, but times like these made me clap for the sorting hat.

"Audrey Crouch"

"How'd I smell?"

"Like spiced apples, roses and raspberry ripple ice cream," I whispered into her ear as Potter recited the same things. She gasped and squeezed my thigh. Looks like I'm getting some tonight for that stunt.

\------------------------------------

It was the 24th of December; the day of the Yule Ball. Audrey woke up in her dorm and immediately frowned when she realised the presence on the opposite side of her bed that she was used to wasn't there, but in his place on the pillow was a note.

Had to go for a few things in Hogsmeade with the lads. If I don't see you at breakfast, I'll try and see you before the ball so you can flash me that dress you've been banging in about, or you could just flash me.

D xx

She decided to shower and get ready for breakfast after rolling her eyes at his innuendo. If she hadn't have got up from his side of the bed, she wouldn't have noticed a bunch of flowers, tulips to be exact, sat in a very fancy vase that she'd never seen. On the rim was another note.

I forgot my shirt in here, so I thought I'd surprise you. My plans of absolute top tier romance were spoilt because you were still flat out. I made this vase in Muggle Art last year, and I've never needed it. Keep it, I rather like the flower shop in the village anyways, so have it handy.

D xx

Inspecting said vase, it looked fancy, but you could tell he made it. It was white with some sort of green shine in the gloss, with gold detailing on it here and there, and at the bottom on the base was 'D.M'. To her, it was perfect, despite a chip here and there. She certainly could never make such a thing. She was terrible at art and everything surrounding it. The fact that he gave her it, confessing that he made it himself warmed her insides. He could buy a hundred antique vases, vases that were made by famous sculptors, and not have a dent in his bank.

Before she could even get out of bed, she heard the door open by, who she assumed was, Draco.

"Morning," she mustered, rubbing her eyes, still sat on Draco's side of the bed, facing away from the door.

"Morning, Girly," she heard a sneer and her stomach dropped. Of course, he couldn't just ruin her night. He had to ruin her morning as well. She could've wept.

"What do you want, Louis?"

"Just thought I'd come and see if you're all prepared for tonight. I've got a surprise for you. I'd give it to you now, but a man's anticipation is the best medicine, wouldn't you agree?" she could hear his smirk before she saw it, as he strode across the room to stand almost on top of her.

"You're no man. Men don't victimise women, nevermind girls," she spat, trying to stand but he pushed her to lie on her back, bending over so his face was mere inches from hers, his hands either side of her head.

"You're wrong. I'm a man because I get what I want. But you said it yourself- you're just a girl. You're no woman. You're a little girl, oblivious to what's gonna happen to you when your old chronie dad kicks the bucket. When I've got you on hand, you'll want to service me," that was it. Audrey let go as tears fell in a free-for-all down her face as he continued over her sobs, "By the time you're thirty, I want your fingers twitching from muscle memory from peeling easy-peeler oranges for my boys all day. I want your tits spilling with milk from me giving you seed after seed, and I want your body printed in our lovely, white, christened mattress," he grinned maliciously before licking a salty tear from her face, causing her to scream from beneath him, earning her a chuckle in her ear. His hands were now holding her wrist as he lapped tears from her face like a sick man.

"Who the fuck's wasted money getting you flowers?" he growled, letting go and standing.

"M-my dad," she stuttered her lie and his eyes glowed watching her try to wipe his spit from her cheeks with her sleeve, before pinching her cheeks roughly and conescendingly. She tried to pry his hands away, but however strong she was, she didn't have much weight behind her strength.

"How sweet to pity his daughter on Christmas. Now, to get to business; look at least presentable tonight, Girly. Do something with your hair. While you're at it, maybe slap some makeup on as well. We wouldn't want Prophet readers inspecting those big baggy eyes now, would we?" he fake pouted, then smiled when he seen her put her head in her hands and weep.

She'd promised herself not even two weeks ago that he'd never make her cry. She'd even promised him that. Crying now, she knew, gave him the satisfaction of knowing he was under her skin. Except, he wasn't just under her skin. He was under her skin, around her skin, and everything in-between. There was no escape. He might as well have been her skin.

"Leave. Please," she looked up.

"Oh look, she's pleading. I'll leave Girly alone, but expect me back at eight thirty," he sneered, but he didn't turn to leave. His eyes landed on the tulips again, and she followed his eyeline to the note she'd placed back where she found it.

In a surge, she lunged and grasped it before he could even think about moving to snatch it and read it. While she was at it, she grabbed the other note he left, holding them close.

"Give me them," his voice was stern and his arm was stretched out, expecting her to hand them over.

"They're private," she stated, holding them impossibly close to her chest. The last thing she could afford was Louis finding out about her and Draco. He'd already ruined things with her ex because he was a muggle-born, and she wasn't sure about how he'd react if he found out that his supposed 'wife' was with one of the wealthiest heirs to any fortune there were. Despite coming from a well-off, respected family, the Crouch's never compared to the Malfoy fortune. They were fifty shades of rich.

"Private?" he scoffed, "A good wife shares everything with her husband, Girly. I can't have a broken wife, can I? Who's gonna sear my steaks and look after my spawn?"

"Looks like you'll have to find yourself a new fucking wife. Hopefully the next one complies with whatever sick things you think about women," she spat, standing to put her notes in a charmed drawer near her door.

"Oh, not women. I only think about you, Girly."

She felt vomit in her throat. Connotating that he thinks of her when he does 'stuff' made her nauseous. This made her think about a recent alternative; Draco. He'd asked her to go with him for the winter break. Now that she was sixteen, and of the consenting age, she could only imagine how much worse it would be at Amycus's. If she was with Draco, she only had to try and make herself seem tolerable to avoid trouble. At Amycus's, she could breathe the wrong kind of air and get backlash, not to mention that Alecto would be lingering.

"I'd like you to leave," she whispered, looking down.

"Gladly. I don't fancy smelling like oestrogen all day," he snorted, strolling towards the door. Her fists clenched at her sides and she became visibly angry, much to his amusement.

"Just get out before I hex you," she strained.

"I'd like to see you try," he smirked, pinching her on her elbow before stepping out of the door, marching away.

\------------------------------------------

She looked more than radiant. The dress was the perfect shade of baby blue, and her hair was immaculately in a bun at the back of her head, any stray pieces of hair curled, framing her face. She wore light makeup to cover anything she could be caught out for, and her heels were the same midnight tone as her hair.

It was 8pm, and she was sat at her desk painting her nails (lastminute.com) when she heard a soft knock on her door. If it were Louis, he would've burst in, regardless of the state she was in, so she brushed it off, heading to open the door, revealing a dress robe clad Draco taking her in.

His eyes drifted along her dainty collarbones, down her arms and across the floral detailing on her dress, then back up to the sapphire jewels of her earrings. She was a breath of fresh air to say the least.

"Draco, I don't mean to be rude, but you should be quick. Louis will be coming soon," she spoke quietly and solemnly.

"S-sorry darling," he stuttered before taking her unspoken invitation to enter the room, and she shut the door behind him. "You look gorgeous- more than gorgeous."

"You don't scrub up terribly yourself," she smiled before spotting a brown paper bag in his hand.

"I got this for you this morning. I took the receipt and tag so you couldn't return it and try to slowly slip me the galleons," he laughed, taking a square, navy box from the bag.

"Draco, you didn't have to buy anything-"

"I've already bought it, dear. Plus, it will look better on you than in any shop, or on anyone else," he grinned, opening it. Her heart nearly stopped. It was a beautiful sapphire necklace she'd seen on one of their trips to Hogsmeade.

"Draco, I don't know what to-"

"Put it on," his voice was soft, as were his eyes. "You've been babbling about your sapphire earrings all week, talking about how you had no sapphire necklace to match, so you wouldn't wear a necklace at all. I'd like you to have this," he plucked it from the box, opening the latch and twirling his fingers in a 'turn around' motion. She stood there frozen, perplexed by the stones staring back at her. 

They were out of sight when she collected that he'd walked behind her, and the cool necklace tickled her neck while he secured it on.

"I should go and wait for Pansy now," he trailed off and she sniggered.

"You're going with Pansy?" she smirked. Oh, he knew that it was nothing to brag about at all, but he knew that no matter how much Audrey didn't like Pansy, that she'd cut his balls off if she heard he'd been anything but gentleman-like with her.

"Don't start because I'm leaving. I'll see you when I see you. Remember that if anything's wrong you just give me a sign," he trailed and she interrupted him with a peck on the lips.

"Of course," she smiled to the ground as he wandered away, out of the door.

When she turned, she caught her reflection in the mirror above her desk. Her dress was a present from her Father. He promised to attend the awards day at Beauxbatons, but she had to move here instead, and it turned out that he wouldn't have been able to attend anyway because of some sort of 'surge in dark magic practises'. The earrings were her a gift her Mother left for her before she died; Sapphire- Audrey's birthstone. The necklace felt right to wear, and she thought about her first impression of the person who gave it to her, and how much had occurred since.

"Earth to Girly."

Her trance was disturbed by that voice she despised, turning around to see him in standard dress robes. In his hand he held out a small vial towards her.

"Drink. It's Draught of peace," he stated, firmly and she took it from him.

"Why are you giving me this?"

"Do I look like I want you stepping on my feet all night just because you're angsty?"

She swigged the bottle and exhaled after the cool liquid went down her throat, but she didn't get the chance to think about whether it tasted like draught of peace or not, because he was hauling her away. Because it definitely didn't taste like draught of peace...


	21. out of sorts.

Draco was bored. Plain and simple.

Pansy looked nice, but she'd never compare with Audrey in his opinion. Speaking of, he watched her walk into the hall with that pillock on her arm.

When he met her eyes, something was off. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was certainly not right. He could see that her breathing was shallow and he caught a glance at her pupils that were wider than his thumb when she walked passed, her eyes raking over him. 

Weirdly, it reminded him of a photo he seen in her Mother's study of her and her Mother. In the face, they were almost identical apart from a detail he only noticed in that singular photo he seen. It was in colour, and her Mother wasn't wearing a fetching hat like she was in the photos in her room. 

Her hair was almost white, and he thought the colourer of the photo made a mistake, but it translated to other photos around the room. Her skin was pale, which contrasted greatly to Audrey's olive complexion. Her eyes had glimmers to them that he now seen in Audrey when she walked passed him. 

The thing that caught him off-guard the most was the scent that overthrew his senses. She always smelled amazing, and anybody would agree, but tonight it was intoxicating, and he felt the strongest of urges claim her, be with her.

The dance between the champions and their partners started and his blood boiled when he seen that her partner was just as good as she was. If he wasn't leading or disgustingly obsessed with her in general, on first glace he would've thought he swung the other way. 

At the opposite side of the hall, he watched her Father watch them thoughtfully while his own Father spoke to their side with Amycus Carrow and Professor Moody. All at once, they glanced up at him, as if they were talking about him and all gave suspicious smiles. His eyes averted when others were invited to dance and Pansy pulled him to the floor.

He had to give it to her, she was quite good, all the way up until it ended, when she ran off gushing towards Daphne and Millicent.

"Draco," he heard his name, turning to the sound and seeing his Father beckon him over. Next to him stood Amycus, who was whispering something into Louis ear, which he seemed to be outraged by, his eyes burning holes into Draco. He looked round for Audrey before approaching, finding her speaking to her Father, drinking punch. Barty looked at her flabbergasted while she babbled, taking a sip of punch every so often. Her lips on the glass lowkey gave him floaty feelings in his stomach for absolutely no reason, and he internally scolded himself. Draco Malfoy does not get butterflies over women drinking punch, no matter how absolutely delicious she, or the punch for that matter, looked.

When he neared his Father, he watched that Fudge twat storm off, Amycus sneering as he stomped away, out of the doors.

"Mr Fudge is currently occupied, as is Miss Parkinson. Why don't you dance with Miss Crouch next?" his Father drawled. He turned to see Pansy snogging the living daylights out of Cormac McLaggen, getting a bit too touchy-feely for his stomach to process without being physically ill. In the other direction, he seen Audrey with her champagne glass full of punch, listening to her Father speak to Fudge Sr, a charming, yet definitely false look on her face. "What are you lolling about for, boy? Go and ask!" he whisper shouted, taking Draco's drink from his hand.

Draco sighed at his demand, turning and making his way to Audrey and the two Politicians stood over her.

"Ah, Mr Malfoy," her Father smiled at Draco, as if in relief. Fudge seemed to look down at him suspiciously, but the thing that struck him the most was the look his dearest gave him when she turned. Not so much the look, actually, but the way her eyes changed when she found his gaze. Her pupils were massive, and her eyes seemed to glitter, as if they were silver-rimmed. Her Father's eyes flickered from her to him repeatedly, worry striking his face.

"I was wondering where you were," her voice was silky and happy, her hand coming up to stroke his bicep through his fitted shirt, squeezing a little before letting go, smiling at him, as if he were her bloody husband.

"I was with Pansy," at the mention of her name, the silver sparkle in Audrey's eyes deepened, and as if her chocolate eyes couldn't get darker, they deepened while he watched her flick her eyes over the hall, landing on Pansy, of whom was still playing tonsil tennis with Cormac.

"Looks to me like she's busy," she muttered, before her eyes trailed to the ceiling, and she began to wander towards the massive doors.

"I'm sorry to burden you, boy, but could you make sure she's alright? She's not seemingly herself," her Father trailed off.

As if you'd know what her being herself is.

Nonetheless, she was out of sorts. When he turned to locate her, she'd drifted away, presumably out of the hall. He nodded towards the worried man before meandering through the legions of students, passing by Cormac and Pansy, his hand rancidly up her dress. He understood the need, but he and Audrey had never done any of their dirty deeds this publicly.

Out of the doors, he thought about where she could have possibly gone. First he thought of the library, then dismissed it; the library was closed. Then he thought of the Room of Requirement, then dismissed that as well; she would never be known to climb so many stairs passed the hour of 7pm. Then he thought of the lav. She pisses, right? He couldn't recall- he didn't have the chance. Hushed voices from around the corner stopped his trail of thought, just in earshot.

"Are you sure you gave it to her?" one voice was extremely sharp.

"I watched her drink the bastard. Why hasn't her hair gone white? Shouldn't she be slobbering over me?"

"I told you it wouldn't fucking work. She's resistant to shit like that!" the first voice spoke again. 

"Yeah but you didn't see her eyes! It's worked, but I don't think it's towards me," the second babbled. What was going on? he thought. It clicked. Her eyes? "She said she smelled some sort of minty cologne shit all round her!"

"You fucking prat! That fucking ball sat in the Ministry's right! That old fucking bastard's right! It's not you," the other mumbled. From what he could gather, these people were definitely speaking about a girl, but Audrey had never mentioned any prophecy. At least, that's what he assumed tweedle-dee meant by 'ball sat in the Ministry'.

"I couldn't care any fucking less if it's not me. The prophecy's bull. She's fucking mine. You promised she was mine!"

He walked away before he could hear anything else he didn't want to hear. He knew who they were talking about, and he knew who he needed to be talking to. 

SHIT! SHE'S WANDERING AROUND THE CASTLE SEDATED ON WHATEVER THAT PINCE MADE HER DRINK!

\--------------------------------------

He heard her before he seen her. It wasn't good, either. 

Of course, she was in the very last place he'd checked. Her bedroom. The door, usually armed with silencing wards that could sound proof England (thanks to him), was ajar, and sounds he'd usually hear when he pleased her echoed in the hallway. He prayed that nobody was in there pleasuring her instead of him, and he also prayed to Merlin that nobody but him had been up here and heard her.

Pushing the door open, the first thing he seen was her dress draped over her desk chair, in a neat fashion for someone definitely drugged. When he seen her, his jaw dropped at the sight.

She was pleasuring.... herself?

Her right hand was south of her navel, playing with herself, while her left gripped her breast, her eyes closed, mumbling to herself.

Of course, it got him hard. It would any man. 

The last thing he wanted to do was take advantage of her. She'd been taken advantage of too many times in her short life, and he was not going to be a man of that sort, but when he heard her mumble his name, his legs nearly carried him to pounce on her. He was desperate to touch her, be touched by her. The feeling was something he'd never really felt before, because usually his first thought would be to fuck her raw. But all he wanted to do was make love to her.

"Oh, Draco," she whined, and he assumed she hit a sensitive bundle inside herself when her eyes bolted open, burning through his. She didn't stop, just smirked up at him. "Draco, you smell so g-good."

"Darling... what are you doing? What's brought this on?" he was cautious with his words. He needed to find out what that prick had given her.

"You, Draco. Only you," she trailed off. He was holding so much of himself back, not nearing her as he usually would, his body frozen in front of the door.

"Come on, you need to get back to the ball-"

"Keep speaking to me. Need to hear your voice," she mustered, very much invested in her own pleasure. He felt like he was going to burst himself.

"Audrey, I don't know what he gave you, but it's obviously not doing you any good-" she interrupted him for the second time.

"He said it was a calming draught or whatever- oh! Draught of Peace," she said while continuing to work on herself, her hips bucking into her hand. Draco so badly wanted to let his cock free from his pants and put her into the mattress like a stamp, but we move. "It tasted cold. Peppermint-ish."

"Love, it wasn't what he said. You need to listen-"

"I NEED YOU, DRACO! ALL I CAN SMELL IS YOU. ALL I CAN TASTE IS YOU!"

"Darling, calm down-"

"NO! Draco, I need you! I've been at this for half an hour and I need you to help me. There's a knot somewhere. Untie it, Draco! IT HURTS!"

The thing he done was, for one of the first times in his life, the thing he should have done. 

Sprinting, he ran over, pulled the covers from beneath her and put them over her bottom half before bolting towards the door, ignoring her cries for him.

He needed someone that could possibly know what was going on. Someone who had read up on side effects like these from potions. A person that's probably read up on a potion so strong. Who always had their head in a book though?

GRANGER.

\-----------------------

-DRACO'S POV-

Well this was awkward.

I tracked Granger down, finding her perched on the stairs near the Great Hall, taking her shoes off.... crying?

Hermione Granger was sat in a periwinkle dress, hair tamed for once, after being taken to the ball by the world's best seeker. And she was crying.

"Granger, I need your help," I started slowly, approaching her slouched figure.

"Malfoy, in case you couldn't collect, I'm not in any mood for any-"

"I'm serious," I interrupted, "I need your help. Audrey was given something and I don't know what it was. Right now, she's a bit... shall we say compromised."

"What do you mean, compromised? Who gave what to her? What would you expect me to do? Why was she with the boy from the paper instead of you at the ball?" she shot questions at me, and I had to let my temper simmer so I could actually get her help before blurting something I shouldn't have.

"I can't tell you information that isn't mine to tell. I just figured that you might have read up on rarer potion properties so I could get an insight as to how to help her, Granger."

"Information that isn't yours?" she scoffed at me, then carried on, "I know she's an enigma but there's really no need to be so melodramatic!"

"Oh, but there bloody is. Listen, if you help us, I'll try and get her to explain," I wavered.

"But what's in it for me? How would that convince me?" she quizzed. Trust me to catch her in a foul mood.

"You live and breathe on information. Believe me when I say that everything starts to click into place, the more you find out. I've seen you glancing at her photo frames in her room. I've watched you inspect items on her shelves. You're too curious to turn away. Plus, she said she's hurting. You Gryffindor's can't stand not being the hero," I raised my brows and she looked intrigues and defeated at the same time.

"Where is she?"

\----------------------------------------------

We found our way back in silence, and when she heard the unholy sounds coming from her when I opened the room, she paled and I had to suppress a chuckle.

"Stay out here a minute. I should warn you that if I can't coax her into putting clothes on, then you might get flashed," I muttered before stepping inside. My erection softened when I thought to seek Granger, and knowing that she was hurting, I didn't get hard again at the sight of her trying her very very best to get herself off, crying in the process. Her breasts had somehow enlarged in my absence, and there were small stretch marks where they started from her chest. Her nipples were darker and her skin was glowing red.

"Darling, I brought someone that might be able to help you," I started. "You're going to have to put some clothes on-" she pulled her hand away from herself, then scrunched her sheets with it as if she were being dunked in boiling water when I rubbed her arm.

"Draco it's so hot, I'll combust," she cried. She wasn't even wet down there anymore, and her hand was seizing. "Draco help me! He gave me something!"

"I know, darling, I know. You should put some clothes on so Granger can try and help you-"

"HERMIONE! GET HER!" she screamed at me, and I rushed to the door.

"Granger she won't put them on," I said, then noticed it wasn't just her behind the door.

"Malfoy, she might need an ice bath..." Granger muttered, glancing at an angry-looking Rose Greengrass next to her.

"I knew there was a reason why she never told me why she wasn't going to the ball with you. Of course he's given her something," Rose ranted, before carrying on, "He'd have known just what to give her to get her like that. She's breaking silencing wards, for fuck's sake!"

"Guys, if you don't mind, you need to see her. She's naked, so I wouldn't blame you if-"

"Oh, sod off, Malfoy. I lived with her for five years and Granger shares a girl's dorm. Dramatic oaf, we've got the same bloody parts you pince," she grumbled, shoving me to the side, Granger following her into the room, gasping at the sight of her red hot skin and twitching limbs. 

"Where's the vial? Do you have it?" Rose questioned softly, as Granger ran to the bathroom and started drawing a bath.

"I think it's-" she struggled for a second, supressing something, "on the desk."

Rose moved away, clearing my vision so she was fully in it. Her skin was red all over, especially on her cheeks. She glistened in sweat and her tears, and her hair stuck to her face a little. I approached her, and pulled it off her face, and as soon as my fingertip touched her skin when I lay down next to her, her hands shot to my forearm, trying to pull it down her body, her eyes the deepest they could get.

"No, no, no."

"What's she doing?" Granger entered the room again, seeing what she was doing, "Audrey, stop!"

Audrey's hands came down to slam into the bed at her sides with a massive groan and a dirty look at Granger.

"Your bath's ready. You should feel better when you're out," she sighed, chucking a soaked hand towel at me to rub on her head a little.

"Draco, you'll sit in there with me, won't you?" she asked, grabbing my hand and kissing it, as if trying to persuade me.

"Actually, Audrey, I think it'd be best if he stays out-"

She screamed. I mean SCREAMED. She kicked, and flung her arms and screamed and cried like a toddler. It was fucking freaky as shit. What the fuck was going on?

"NO! WE'VE BEEN APART FOR TOO LONG!"

She clung to my waist and cried into my shirt, wrapping her legs around mine. I froze and looked to Granger for help when I felt my abdomen become wet with her tears.

"ALRIGHT HE CAN STAY! But I'm gonna go in too. You need monitored, and you can't get rowdy," she reasoned, and Audrey got up with a groan, pulling me to the bathroom. When she spotted the crushed ice on the top of the bath, she let out a breathy moan, and clambered in. There was literal steam coming from where she entered the bath. Granger conjured a quill and parchment, and begun to ask her questions.

"How do you feel?"

This sent her into a ramble. She could talk for wizarding Britain on a good day of you knew her well enough, never mind now.

"I'm sore," she whined, "there's this big knot in my belly and I can't get rid of it. My tits hurt so bad, Hermione, they're so heavy! I was so hot, and it cooled down when I touched Draco in the hall, then I seen Pansy and I got hotter, and Louis had gone and all I could think about was Draco, and I was going to set on fire!"

Granger was going mad with the quill and parchment, her brows furrowing and my leg was relentlessly bouncing up and down, which I hadn't realised until I seen Audrey eyeing it up, her eyes drifting to my crotch.

"Add arousal to that list, Granger," I sighed, crossing my legs as she put her head down and crossed her arms. The fact that she was so casually sat in a bath that's literally got crushed ice scattered on the top, should be worrying, but her skin was beginning to return to her complexion, and her face lit up when Rose came back into the room.

"What did that prick tell you when he gave it to you?" I asked, Rose storming in, hands stained with ink. Her and Granger were still in their dresses, me in my dress robes and Audrey butt-naked under the ice covering her and the water she was in.

"YOU DARE CALL HIM THAT! HE'S MY BEST FRIEND!"

"I've figured it out," Rose began, sitting in the chair next to mine in front of the window, "From what she's just said to you, Gregory's Unctuous Unction is definitely in there-"

"What's that? I've never read about it?" Granger interrupted. If she hadn't, I would've, I'd never read anything of the sorts either. You could tell how long Rose and Audrey had been in wizarding school for in times like these.

"Causes the drinker to think the giver is their best friend. Sometimes it makes people think they're lovers, but it's said that you need to add human bone cartilage into it. He mixed it with other stuff, and it's all fighting in her body to show it's effects. He's tried to mix with Twilight Moonbeams, which causes infatuation to the giver, but he added a veela triggering potion as well, and it's not reacting well to the veela hairs," she gave me a worried look. Veelas?

"What the fucks a Veela?" I asked, and Granger responded, Audrey's head started lolling to her side.

"A veela is a being that's been bred with humans over thousands of years. They're women with white skin and hair, and are alluring for men. Because they've been bred with humans, they're most likely only go for a singular mate or one mate at a time. He must've thought the love potion would persuade the Veela instincs," she trailed off, and Rose carried on.

"Her Mother was a quarter Veela, and she became one when she got pregnant. If Louis hadn't mixed other potions in, she would look like a Veela. She doesn't carry the recessive gene, so her body's trying to fight it too, and it's reacting inside her. That's what the 'knot' in her belly is. Her womb is the reaction centre, because he added fertility and willingness for mating supplements as well," she said, trying to create some sort of flow diagram after retrieving the side effects list from Granger. What kind of buffoon mixes potions and supplements and expects it to work in anyone's favour?

"Fudge's son gave her that? Why would he?"

Audrey started mumbling some of her muggle songs, he eyes closed. I wanted to hold her, but I thought it would probably have made it worse, and things were chaotic enough, not to mention what happened next.

"GIRLY ARE YOU IN HERE?"

Amycus and Louis.

"Get in the other bathroom! Now!" Rose whisper-shouted at me and Granger. Granger tried her hardest to question and protest, but I dragged her with me. Seeing us two there would've made it ten times worse for her. She started trying to question me again, and when I closed the door, I muttered a silencing charm before turning to her.

"If you want what's best, you'll be quiet. I don't know what they'll do to her if they find out me and the Gryffindor princess have any clue as to what's going on," I whispered.

"But I don't have a clue what's going on! I-" she stopped when we heard voices from the other side of the door.

"Greengrass, what a pleasure to see you again," Louis drawled, as he always did from what I'd seen in the Pensieve. 

"Fudge. What's brought you here?"

"You know what's brought me here. She's sat in that fucking bath," he spat. Granger tried to grip the door handle, but I moved in front of it, shaking my head. "Where's your boyfriend, Girly? I know there's someone," I heard Audrey whine after he said it. If he put a hand on her, I'd have his arse taxidermized on my wall.

"She doesn't have a boyfriend, idiot!" Rose piped up.

"Miss Greengrass, I'll kindly ask you to leave," Amycus said, coolly. He heard the door shut on the other side after some shuffling for quite a few seconds, then Amycus spoke again.

"Listen, Girly. I'm sure you've realised that it wasn't some sort of calming draught. It should wear off before another day starts. You're probably stupid enough not to connotate that it means it won't last after midnight. It hasn't worked the way we wanted it too anyway. Louis here was going to take your innocence tonight. Make you part of us forever, but I've decided to let you hold on to it for a while longer. As for your boyfriend, keep him for all I care. You know your place. Whether you belong to Louis or not, I want you to know that you won't escape the things we've trained you for," he growled, and I could faintly hear her crying.

"We have to do something!" Granger said beside me.

"Don't you think I would've tried to do something if I could do something?" I bit back, then heard Fudge speak again.

"Uncle's gonna try and sell you off so I can buy a new wife," he bragged, then I heard Audrey let out a shriek.

"NO, YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND!"

At this, they just laughed. The fact that they might be able to see her naked under the ice made my ears red. She was literally in a vat of ice at their mercy.

"I told you the love potion wouldn't work. Funny nonetheless though," Amycus chuckled, "But he's right. I'm going to get a house in the Swiss Alps with my Girly money. Anyways, he said 'try and sell you off'. You're practically auctioned off, love. And I'd bet that the man whose gonna pay for you is gonna wrap you up like a toy on fucking Christmas for his boy. Who knows. You might be the next Mrs Nott, Prewett, Yaxley, Burke or even that Greengrass friend of yours's sister-in-law," he sneered, and I heard a slapping noise, followed by a small whimper. Granger next to me put a hand over her mouth, and tears pricked her eyes. Learning that they were going to sell her like that made my stomach tighten. Also learning that another poor girl would have to take her place was heart-wrenching. Some sick fucker wanted to sell their daughter off to those two. Someone out there wanted to buy Audrey. My Audrey.

My train of thought was stopped when we heard a faint 'they're gone' from the next room and Granger shoved me to the side, and I froze in place when I seen her through the doorway, shivering, one cheek red, her face wet with tears.

I rushed to help her out, and Granger cast a drying charm before I put her in bed.

"It's starting to wear off, I think," she trailed, her eyes closing when I pulled the covers over her.

We stood for a while, watching her drift off, before looking at each other and wandering towards the door.

"Thanks, Granger," I muttered, closing it behind me.

"What's going on?"

I knew exactly what she meant. I knew it wasn't my information to tell, but we sat on the floor next to Audrey's bedroom door and I told her everything I knew. I even told her about what I'd seen in the Pensieve, not before threatening her if she were to tell anyone. She agreed with me when I said that everything clicks into place the more you know. She sat thoughtfully for a while, before leaving me sat in silence outside her door until ten past midnight, when I strolled back inside and laying with her, my mid too active to sleep.


	22. aquamarine is for clarity.

On Christmas day, Draco woke up in her bed, happy to be clutching her. He opened his presents from his parents; socks, a broom, a silk robe, a ring, and some new dragonhide brogues.

Audrey woke up, relieved that she was alright, and no longer sedated. She opened her presents from her Father and Rose. Her Father (definitely one of his assistants, but we move) got her a new black coat, two belts, a pair of deep purple amethyst earrings and a hand bag. Rose bought her some raspberry leaf tea, a new spiced apple candle and a pretty large basket of assorted muggle sweets and candies.

They gave each gave the other their gifts, Audrey giving hers first. She got giddy when he started opening the paper, making him chuckle, shaking his head.

"Do you like it?"

He marvelled it in his hand. It was a sketchpad, premium parchment pages, with the best pencils money could buy.

"Darling, where'd you get this? The leather must've cost you-"

"Draco, don't get your knickers in a twist," she sighed, and he gave up. There was no convincing this woman. He tried to hand her his present, and she shook her head.

"Why not? You got me a present," he rose his brows.

"You got me the necklace last night. That must've cost some coin-"

"Ah, ah, ah. You can't stop me for scolding about prices, then do it yourself. That's hypocrisy, love. Anyways, I can't return it. It was made for you," he smirked and she quirked a brow.

"What do you mean?"

"Open it, silly."

She took the small cube and unwrapped the brown paper, revealing a blue velvet box.

"Draco..."

"No backsies, dearest. I can't return it, and it's far to small for my man hands," he jeered.

She opened the box, and there sat the ring, aquamarine glinting at her.

She opened the box, and there sat the ring, aquamarine glinting at her  
"Draco, I can't take this," she breathed.

"You can and you will," he took it from the box and flashed her the bottom of the inside of the ring, where D.M was engraved. "Mother suggested I'd buy it. I got a moon for ombrelune or whatever your house was called. All I knew was that it was astronomy and constellations. The aquamarine is for clarity and harmony, and your half-birthday in March, seeing as you have so much sapphire to drown a man. I got it engraved with my initials instead of yours because it's how I sign paintings and the like. You're quite the work of art, dear," he rambled, her belly doing somersaults. She stared at him, unwilling to process the thought Draco big bad wolf Malfoy put into a ring- which probably cost more that the presents Rose and her Father got her combined.

"Do you like it?" he repeated her question with a grin, watching her close her mouth that was previously gaping at the ring.

"Draco, how could you not? But surely you don't think it's a bit much? The necklace yesterday and the ring today?" she tried to reason, not in an unappreciative way, but one of concern.

"Think of yesterday's present as a belated birthday gift, seeing as you didn't tell anyone about it," he wavered and she blushed.

"Thank you, Draco. So much," she wrapped her hands around his neck, embracing him. At first, he was shocked a bit, but then returned the embrace, before pulling her back, telling her that the ring 'wasn't meant to spend it's lifetime in a box', slipping it on her right-hand fourth finger. She kissed him then, straddling him, her hands travelling to the nape of his neck, whilst one of his wrapped around her neck, and his kisses trailing down her neck after a while, until he abruptly pulled away.

"Draco, what's wrong?" she asked, twiddling some of his hair between her fingers, shooting him a concerned look.

"I don't want you to feel taken advantage of. Especially after everything that happened yesterday," he mumbled, grabbing her other hand and placing a kiss to every one of her knuckles.

"I know you don't want me to feel like that. I'd tell you if I did. But right now, it's just us," she stroked his knuckles and ran her hand through his hair. "Draco, get on the bed," she pulled off him, standing up to wait for him.

He rose up, grabbing her hip, pulling her close to try and kiss her, but was stopped my a slim finger pressed to his lips.

"I'm in control, Draco," she whispered, and his eyes flashed with wanting, before turning towards the bed. He was still only in his boxers, and Audrey was wearing a spaghetti strap vest and some rather flattering shorts. She wasn't wearing socks, so it looked like her legs went on for miles. How, he was desperate to have them bracketed around his head.

"Whatever you say, love. When you want pounded, you just give me a bell," he smirked, laying down on his back on the plush sheets.

"Draco, I mean it. You're always in control," she said, sternly, making her way to the bathroom.

"Don't act as if you don't like it, love- Oi, where are you off?"

"I've got another present for you. I'll be back in five," she smiled mischievously and he groaned, palming himself.

"Hurry up, love. I need you bouncing on me as soon as you can fit me into that schedule of yours," he growled, taking his boxers off, revealing his half-hard cock. She rushed in, leaving him to rub himself in anticipation of what she was going to come out like. He half wanted her in a nice lingerie set, and half wanted her naked to save the trouble of ripping the thing off.

When she emerged, the first thing he noticed was her waist. It looked tiny, which made her hips look bigger, as the elastic of the fabric of her bottom set brought her waist in. The fabric in question was scarlet red, the same as her lace bra, which left a bit to the imagination, but flattered her breasts immensely.

She had garters the same colour, and against her olive skin, it looked edible to him, and he felt the need to take each of them off with his teeth in a form of worship.

"You like?" she asked coyly, and he realised his mouth had been open at the sight of her.

"I more than just fucking like, darling," he rasped, wanking himself faster, until she shot him a stern look, walking over and removing his hand from his, now rock solid, member.

"Only I'm allowed to touch from now on," she said, licking some of the precum that was on his thumb, before dropping his hand next to him. He groaned when she gave his cock some attention, wrapping her hand around his shaft and pumping him whist positioning herself into a sitting position across his thighs.

His hands rushed to her hips, attempting to pull her forwards before she slapped them away, her face unwavering in concentration. Her other had travelled down his inner leg, softly rubbing his balls, Draco groaning and grunting at the feeling.

Eventually, she gave in to his pleas, and put her mouth on him, taking as much of him into her hollowed cheeks as possible, bobbing up and down while his hands stroked her hair.

"You spoil me, love," he groaned, thrusting himself into her mouth ever so subtly.

She came off, getting off the bed to slowly remove the lingerie on her bottom half, then her bra, her breasts free and on full display for him. He was an arse man through and through, but the first time he seen her tits, he thought that he'd never see a pair as perfect again.

"Sit on my face," he ordered, adjusting his head on the pillows.

"Draco-"

"I don't care if you think you're in control. We both know who really takes orders from who here. I'll say it once more. Sit. On. My. Fucking. Face," he growled, but she wasn't ready to give in just yet.

"Make me," she muttered, looking away from his iced gaze.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that," he sneered, sarcasm dripping from his lips, "could you perhaps repeat that little mumble from before?"

He was approaching her now, naked and god-like, eyeing her up like a thirsty man would a glass of water.

"I said that you'll have to make me," she smirked, finally meeting his eyes again.

"Darling, I think that at the end of the day, I won't have to make you. You'll be begging for me, love," he circled her, his fingers ghosting on her skin, so light they could've given her hot flashes.

"I- I don't think I w-will be," she tried, but when his hand caressed her arse, she stuttered, biting her lip.

"I love it when you're like this," he breathed.

"Like what? I'm acting as I normally would," she crossed her arms and he growled under his breath at the sight of her breasts pressed together and his cock almost twitched when he thought of it going between them, all oiled and soft, her face looking down at it. But back to the present.

"Oh, I don't mean about the way you're acting, dear," he muttered, still eyeing up the way her breasts looked with her arms crossed, thinking more on how he wanted to paint them with his cum.

"Well what do you mean? You love it when I'm what?" she seemed genuinely confused, uncrossing her arms, and he watched the way her breasts bounced back to where they were.

"Naked," he grumbled, and she suddenly was hit by a wave of self-consciousness, dipping one of her legs inwards and an arm over her nipples and he stopped his circle behind her, noticing her movement.

"No, no, no, you can't hide yourself all away now. I was just gonna start with you," he said hotly on her neck, the tip of his cock poking the small of her back in a manner she could only describe as knee-buckling. "Think you can still resist it, darling?"

She let out a ragged sigh, almost giving and melting to the feeling of his hands rubbing the dip at her waist, moving down to the space where her hips end and her thighs start.

"Y-yes," she mustered, trying her best not to break her façade when he groaned, pushing his front to her back.

"But I'll make you feel so good, darling. You can come on my fingers, and my tongue, and my cock," he convinced, grinding himself on her, ghosting the bottom of her navel with his hands. "Do you not want me to make you come? Not want me to make you feel good? I can assure you that you'd find that no one else would make you feel the way I can. I've ruined you for anyone else," his voice was gruff with a falsely apologetic tone. His hand snaked down, lightly going over her clit, and without realising, she moved her hips in an effort for more pressure.

"Look at you. Desperate little thing, aren't you?" she started to shake her head at his words, but his other hand came to her jaw, turning her head to look him in the eye, "Don't deny it, Princess. You're hot and bothered and wet for me," he growled, making her impossibly wetter.

"Now that I've got you on the ball, I want you to do as I say, and you won't get punished, although I'd take pride in marking your arse up. You've had me all vanilla for a while, and I clearly need to stop slacking in some areas, isn't that right?" he punctuated with the removal of his hand from her folds to slap her arse, grinning when she mewled and nodded.

"No talking from you, either- unless spoken to. We both know your mouth has better uses," he said, guiding her to the bed, and sitting her on the edge, in front of him. "Sit and wait nicely," he muttered before leaving, entering her closet.

She watched the door in anticipation, wondering what in the fuck he could possibly be doing. For all she knew, he was putting his clothes back on.

When he emerged, thankfully still naked, he had his hands behind his back, presumably holding something.

"Now, I've got you something. It could either work against you, or in your favour. I'll be the judge of that," he warned, before continuing, "would you like to see?"

She nodded, remembering what he told her about not speaking.

"Or would you like me to show you?" his eyes glimmered with something she couldn't identify, but she nodded nonetheless.

"I'll need you to tell me, for this. Tell me you trust me enough," he trailed off, and she could see that he was fiddling with whatever he was holding behind his back.

"I trust you. I give you permission to show me," she said, looking into his eyes, which widened with his smirk at her words.

"Lie back where you are, and close your eyes for me, love. Relax," he said softly.

She laid back, her knees bending at the edge of the bed, the bottom half of her legs dangling from the bed.

She felt his hands on her sides, then come together on her stomach, rubbing the soft skin, then she was greeted with kisses and nips to her thigh.

"If you wanted me to stop, what would you say?"

"Yellow," she mustered, enjoying the feeling of his touch.

"Good girl," he mused, squeezing her hips. Her eyes were still closed, scrunching every so often with anticipation, only for his touches to cease in the places she needed them the most. "Are you ready?"

"Y-yes," she breathed.

After a little bit of shuffling, and the beginning of a soft buzzing noise, she felt him near her.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his finger trailing up her inner thigh to her centre.

"Yes."

As soon as she finished the 's' on the word, she felt a pressure on her clit, a gloriously vibrating little thing that she knew definitely wasn't a part of him. Her gasp and reaction made him groan, and passed her closed eyes, she imagined him stroking himself while watching her.

"What do we think?" his voice was husk.

"It f-feels so good," she mustered, circling her hips around the feeling.

"I got it for when I'm not around. So you can play with yourself," he trailed off and she let out a greedy moan, pushing her hips down. As soon as she found the perfect pressure, the play thing was removed, and she whined, cut short by his mouth replacing it, sucking her clit.

She could've screamed, honestly. Two of his digits slipped into her, curling at the right place. He was driving her to the edge, and she could only hope that he'd let her tipple over, instead of edging her.

When he pulled from her, she groaned, assuming it would be the latter, but was proven wrong when he clambered onto the bed to lie down.

"Open your eyes, get up, and sit on my face," he growled, giving her breast a soft slap before fully lying down, leaving her to stand up beside the bed.

A sudden rush of nerves flooded over her; she'd never done this before. He was the first person to go down on her, never mind sit on his gorgeous fucking face. As if he sensed it, he spoke again.

"Must I repeat myself?" he was stern, and so was the look on his face. She scrambled, crawling up his body on the bed.

"Draco, I've never done this before-" she said, straddling his chest and twiddling her thumbs.

"What did I say about talking?" he asked with a slap to her arse, "I couldn't fucking care less. Get your cunt on my face, or must I do something about it?"

She was already impossibly wet, and he could definitely feel her, a feeling he relished in.

She made her mind up, and just decided to go for it. If he was uncomfortable, he'd tell her, right?

When her legs were positioned at either side of his head, he gripped her thighs as hard as she gripped the headboard, and he pulled her down to his mouth.

When his tongue found her, she felt him pull her down even more, and when all her weight was on him, he groaned and absolutely went for it.

She felt his tongue twist, and enter her as far as it could go, one of his hands wrapped around and massaging her clit. Without realising, she had begun to grind on him, and her moans and groans were appreciated with grips on her thighs. She turned her head back, and seen his cock flush against his abdomen, hard and pink, and she was desperate to have it.

"Draco, I need-" she said, pulling off from him, finding his eyes almost red and searing into hers.

"What did I fucking tell you?"

She realised her mistake. She wasn't to speak unless spoken to, and he made it clear that her sitting on his face, his talented mouth, was imperative until he said so.

"Go into the bathroom. When I come in, I want you bent over in-between the sinks in front of the mirror."

Her mouth came open. Clearly today was one of trying new things.

She rushed there, looking in the mirror at the state she was in.

Her skin was flushed, and her hair was alright, but not perfect by any means. She noticed marks on her inner thighs, and was just beginning to enamine them when she heard Draco shut the bedroom door and begin walking through the bathroom into the room she was in. She scrambled to the sink, getting herself over it, ready for him.

"Absolutely gorgeous, love," he groaned, and she watched through the mirror when he made his way behind her, eyeing up her behind, stroking himself.

He seized her hips, bringing her closer to him, his cock grinding against her arse. She watched his face in the mirror, dripping with anticipation- just how he liked her.

"Ready, darling?" he asked, smirking as one of his hands snaked to her entrance, circling her. "Feels like it to me," he growled, removing his finger and fetching it to his lips.

"Have I ever told you how good you taste, Audrey?"

"I- I'm not sure-" she tried, but his fingers in-between his lips were very much distracting.

"Can you remember when you tried raspberry ripple ice cream for the very first time?" he asked, now looking contentedly at her arse, stroking, slapping, gripping. "It's like that every single fucking time when I've got you on my mouth," he muttered, gripping his cock and positioning himself. "Still think you're in control?"

Her mind flashed back to when she genuinely thought she was. How naïve to think that he wouldn't object. She shook her head in response, and through the mirror she seen him chuckle, before entering her sharply, groaning while watching himself slide into her. His ears pricked up when she moaned, and her head dropped to her hands when he bottomed out into her.

Her hair was gripped by a large hand, and she met her own face in the mirror, dirty with her fingerprints.

"What have I told you about slacking?" he said, ferally.

She watched him in the mirror, his contoured body moving against her own. She watched his face slacken when he looked at himself at her lower half, his hand coming up to separate her arse cheeks for a better view, his brows furrowing.

Just spectating him was turning her on, never mind the feeling he gave her between her legs. His cock was perfect inside her, and he knew what angles to strive for, and speeds for them as well. He was genuinely infatuated with her pleasure, and the fact that it gave him pleasure made her warm everywhere.

He muttered incoherently, and his thrusts got rougher, mumbling strings of sentences like 'perfect', 'good', and 'make me cum'.

The pressure in her middle was building, and she reached back and gripped his arm on her waist. He moved himself to find the angle he had found made her come apart previously, and his hand that wasn't in a death grip came down to her clit, massaging the bundle of nerves in time with his thrusts into her g-spot.

"Come for me, love." he panted, squeezing his eyes shut in refrain. He always made sure she came first, whatever the lengths he had to go to. He needed it just as much as she did.

He collapsed on her back so that his hand rubbing her clit had more pressure to it, and when she felt him lick and nip at the skin on her back, she let go.

When her head bowed down, his hand came from her grip straight away to pull it back up by her hair, desperate to see her eyes roll into the back of her head as he finished inside her.

Her head came up, and she clenched around him. When he heard a moan that you'd genuinely expect to be pornographic, he couldn't handle anymore, burying himself inside her warmth.

She felt him empty himself inside her, placing wet kisses on her back, sucking on the skin as he finished. His pants came to a stop on her skin when he lifted his head up and found her watching him as he spoke.

"Merry bloody Christmas, dear."

\------------------------------------

Christmas day that year was the best she'd had. She'd have no doubt been in a kitchen in whatever house Amycus wanted to stay in, either making dinner or getting harassed. She told him so, during a deep conversation over a bath and some wine late in the night, after they'd been for their Christmas meal later than everyone else to avoid the crowd over pigs in blankets.

He felt good knowing that he had taken her mind off things, and gave her something to keep on her finger from him at all times.

On Boxing day, everyone was due to go home, and after much thought, Audrey didn't take his offer to go with him for the whole holiday. Before he left, she received an invitation to Draco's Mother's New Year's Eve ball, telling her that her Father would be in attendance as well. Once Draco knew of this, he tried to convince her to attend, then stay with them until the break was over a week after the event. She said she'd stay the night of the ball, which he knew was the best he was going to get. The invitation was extravagant, black glitter bordering the parchment, and her name in cursive followed by the details about 'best dress' and 'best dress robes' titles being given out, encouraging guests to 'look the part'.

He left a few hours later, leaving her and just eleven other students behind, and she wondered what to do with herself, but decided to fill the day with note taking for her and Draco's next set of Potions together, but found herself consumed by work. 

She done it the next day, and the next. She'd gotten countless things done for the both of them, and even had a meeting with Snape and Dumbledore about what she wanted to do about her O.W.L.S situation.

"I'll give you three choices, Miss Crouch." Snape's voice droned, "You could re-take your O.W.L.S at the end of next year, and progress with the other students your age. You might want to continue this year and start N.E.W.T.S next year and take them with your year group, giving you a year advantage, or you could simply move to N.E.W.T courses after Christmas and be examined at the end of sixth year."

"I'd also advise," Dumbledore started, "that N.E.W.T.S are tedious things, and with much more advanced subjects. Having the year advantage may give you time to... how to put it? Well, it gives leniency, which could come quite useful," he shot her a confusing smile, and he thought it was just him babbling to himself. "Plus, you're a TriWizard champion, regardless of who put your name in. This year could be a bit of a breather. Revision, if you will."

Who'd told him she didn't put her name in?

"I agree, Professor. But I'd like to stay in classes for the rest of the year," she said, and Snape nodded, speaking back.

"I think that would be doable. After all, you're easily taught, and you seem to keep your little chums in line in my classroom. Well, Mr Malfoy, anyway," he narrowed his eyes, as if searching for something, but Dumbledore gasped at his statement as Snape walked out of the office.

"You're finding the room ample, I hope?" he asked, offering me a sweet from a dish on his desk. 

"To be honest, Professor, I haven't been in since before the first task. I don't know about Dra- erm, Malfoy."

"Understandable. I haven't had the chance to commend you on your performance in the task. Very, very impressive. Now, you best be off. Relax. Have a bath. The prefects bathrooms are open, and from what I've heard from Mister Diggory, the golden eggs wash very nicely in there," he trailed off, guiding a very confused Audrey out of his office.

That was the last human contact she'd had. All of her friends had gone home, and the elves brought food to her room if she didn't show up to meals.

Of course, Draco wrote to her every day. He wanted to know what she'd done, if she'd eaten, and how she was. She liked the thought, but it was exhausting writing the same thing every day.

She'd also kept getting letters from Amycus. With so much spare time, and the steady income of the letters, she had never been more tempted to open them. Not for his satisfaction, but for her growing curiosity about what he could write about so much.

On the 30th of December, the fourth day, she cracked. She was at her window, watching Draco's owl fly off when she suddenly bolted for the drawer, snatching the letters from it, and started catching up on four months worth of letters.

After a couple of hours, she sat, parchment and envelopes surrounding her form on the floor while she thought about the letters, about what they said.

'You'll be a mess. If any of your kids are anything like you, you'll hate yourself even more."

'We'll take your muggle pills off you, Girly. Bleed on our floors, I dare you to find out what I'll do.'

'I'll want a turn before Louis takes you.'

'You'll be tight around him, won't you?'

'Just wait 'till your old Dad keels over. Then you'll be ours, Girly.'

'If Boy doesn't want you, I'd happily put a cage at my bedside for you to sleep in.'

She thought about double meanings, but then thought that he probably wasn't clever enough for it, except when he referred to things like 'taking milk' and 'cream in her mouth'.

She thought that reading them could release a feeling. Take a weight from her shoulders. It only gave her a sickly feeling in her throat.

On the fifth day without Draco, she went into Hogsmeade. If she was attending a ball, she needed a dress. She also needed some chocolate frogs to tend to her sweet tooth.

It was cold, and the snow was perfectly laid when she was walking back to the castle, and decided to stroll for a while. Her legs took her to Hagrid's, where she had a cup of tea before he showed her some Threstrals in the forest, spotting a unicorn in the process. It was white as paper, and it reminded her of Draco, and how she missed him. She'd bring him back here.

The 31st of December was one of the most hectic days she'd had in a long time. Her Father was almost late to collect her, and she couldn't apparate to Malfoy Manor, seeing as she'd never been before. She bought a dress with pockets, and put an undetectable extension charm on one, which she put some clothes and pyjamas in, remembering that she'd promised Draco to stay the night.

When her Father did show up, he apologised immediately, told her she looked nice and very much like her Mother and apparated them before she could thank him.

The twisting stopped when they arrived in front of two open, daunting gates leading to a Manor, of which she assumed would look quite off-putting if it weren't for the snow glistening under the lights his Mother had strung up all over the place. It was quite a Gothic house. She knew Draco's family weren't the most joyful, but she didn't think his house would be the architectural depiction of a brooding old man.

She was brought from her thoughts when her Father linked arms with her, walking her up the long pathway in silence, letting her take in what the grounds had to offer. The place looked barren for miles, so she assumed they were far in the countryside somewhere.

When they arrived at the door, the man who Draco told her was his Father stood at the door, speaking with a smile down to a woman who had hair the same colour as his and Draco's, who turned when Draco's Father pointed towards them. She was wearing an elegant, deep navy number with silver accents, her hair in a braid at the back of her head.

"Minister," his Father nodded, and her Father took his arm from hers and shook his hand, then kissed the woman on the cheek.

"How lovely to see you again, Minister," she smiled, "and with a new face," she looked at Audrey smiled.

"The pleasure is ours, Narcissa." he smiled, before signalling to me, "this is Audrey."

"Our Draco told me about you. You look just like your Mother, dear. Just as beautiful." she smiled.

"Thank you, Mrs Malfoy," Audrey said, genuinely.

"Call me Narcissa, dear. Come in from the cold. You'll find Draco somewhere, and he'll get you a drink. Barty, you'll find what you're looking for in the drawing room on the left," she said, before we entered.

"What you're looking for?" she questioned as they entered a massive hosting room, winter touches here an there. People filled the room, wearing all sorts of things. The gowns she seen were absolutely gorgeous, and she felt like hers was perhaps too simple, but then she thought that she probably wouldn't be able to pull of garments so heavy-looking.

"There's a game of cards in there," he muttered, looking for the entrance.

"God, you are old," she joked and he smiled, kissing her cheek. 

"Stay safe. I'll see you later. Enjoy yourself! Speak to people. Mingle around," he said, definitely trying to sound 'cool'.

"Bit of hypocrisy coming from a man who attended the event to play cards with smokers in a drawing room," she smirked and he rolled his eyes jokingly and made his way through the conglomerate of people.

Now she was alone. In a room full of six hundred people who could shoot her and her un-jewelled dress down in an instant.

"Is that Miss Audrey Crouch?" she heard from behind her, the voice disgustingly recognisable. Rita Fucking Skeeter.


	23. missing two fingers.

Skeeter spoke to her for an hour. A fucking hour. Her charmed quill went for it on the notepad, as she answered the most ridiculous questions. 'When did the real impact of your brother's presence, or lack of, impact your life?' 'Why did you move away from your love interest, Louis Fudge?' 'Are you and Louis Fudge building bridges in your love story?'

Audrey grew sick very fast, but she attempted to answer every question as politely as possible, but they were frequently interrupted by 'people who had seen her in the paper', who had questions of their own, or literally anyone who could tell her she looked like her Mother.

When she finally escaped, she was stopped by other women, claiming to have known her Mother or her Father, telling her she was beautiful, that they'd kill for her clavicles and the like. She appreciated them, but she was parched.

She weaved her way through the crowd, heading for a hallway to literally breathe some of her own air, but was quickly disturbed by a door opening. Before she seen the culprit, she heard them choke on their breath, clearly not expecting to see her there.

"Crouch," she heard. She recognised the deep voice. Blaise Zabini. She looked, finding him in dress robes, tailored.

"Zabini," she muttered, standing up straight.

"He's been waiting for you. He's fucking trollied, far too much firewhiskey, but he wouldn't shut the fuck up about you. Is it true that you like it rough?" he smirked, putting his hands into his pockets.

"What's it to you, hm? Thought you weren't my biggest fan," she crossed her arms and he chuckled.

"Love, I just wanted to shag you rotten. Draco never let me. Said a girl like you wouldn't like it the way I do. Said you wouldn't want to be 'wooed' by me," he trailed off, looking at the wall behind her. Blaise was obviously tipsy as well, but she was shocked. Blaise wanted her in the sack? Perhaps he was more than tipsy if he told her this.

"So to combat that, you called me fat at meal times and never spoke to me otherwise?"

"Thought it would make me look like less of a fucking creep. You don't know the half of it. Theo Nott is the same. Draco threw us off and snatched you. He didn't come to the dorm for a week and we thought he was sleeping outside, or with Pansy or someone. When he told us he'd had lavish baths and mind-numbing sex all week, Theo lost his shit," he sighed, looking back up at her, waiting for her to say something.

"Is that all I am to him?" she asked, timidly and a look of confusion brushed over his face.

"What do you mean?"

"A nice bath and a good shag? Is that why he's with me?"

She regretted asking as soon as it left her mouth. Draco was such an unpredictable person, you never knew what mood you'd catch him in, and he was an amazing liar. She'd wondered in the past, usually while he was asleep in her bed, if he was genuinely going to be invested in what she had to give to him other than sex and things of other nature. She'd also wondered if he could give the same thing. If he could ever feel so much of a feeling for her to tell her that he felt it. But she brushed it off, thinking it was hopeless. He had the emotional awareness of a slipper sometimes.

"He's got it bad for you. He got drunk Boxing Day evening and nearly needed a fucking tissue telling me he messed up your first time, saying he didn't know, but it shouldn't have mattered," he said, pulling a boiled sweet from his pocket and eating it out of it's wrapper.

"That wasn't his fau- wait. You were here on Boxing day?"

"I'm staying here this year. Mum's at her boyfriends," he spoke solemnly, before turning down the hall in front of them, nodding his head in the direction, signalling her to follow.

"Draco and Theo are in the library. We've been playing truth or dare, so I'm on a bit of truth serum if you can't tell," he smiled as she followed him. That explained a lot for her.

In the hall way, there were paintings of thousands of people, their hair all white, and she assumed they were Draco's relatives and ancestors. One in particular stopped her.

"SHE'S THE SACRED ONE! THE ONE DODONUS SPOKE OF!"

The entire hallway erupted into gasps and gossip, and she suddenly felt scrutinized.

"You're right, Abraxas! The Draco boy is the other half, I say! Or Nott's youngest!" another voice came. Blaise looked to her with confusion, then spoke.

"What are they talking about?"

"I- I don't know," she tried, but was interrupted.

"SHE'S THE MOTHER OF ALL MOTHERS! Barer of the child that will be harbourer of Magic as we know it!" he exclaimed, his hands raising to emphasise everything.

"Must be some old chronie bullshit," Blaise said, shrugging an continuing down the hall.

She tried to drown out the paintings telling her to 'seal it in an heir made in the spring'.

Blaise stopped at a beautiful mahogany, carved door and opened it, pressing a finger to his lips.

The first thing she saw was a sofa set, which looked unbelievably comfortable. Behind it was shelf after shelf of books, set out as if it were a communal library, not one you'd typically find in a residence. This room must've had twice the amount of books in as Hogwart's library, easily. She could get lost in here.

The final thing she noticed, was Draco to the side of the room, Theodore Nott sat on the floor watching him kick something, which sounded like metal.

"I'll bet she's not bloody coming. She doesn't want to because of that fucking twat bag prick out there. I'll bet Potter and Weasel told her all about him the fucking swine," he growled, and kicked the thing she could now identify as an empty champagne bucket.

"She might just be late, or talking to people," Nott tried to reason, but Draco shrugged it off with a scoff.

"I'll assure you now- Audrey Jane Crouch wouldn't be caught dead being late to anything. It's that fucking cunt, I'm telling you. She seen him at the Quidditch game and he wordlessly scolded her from a distance. She isn't coming, Theo," he seemed defeated, drunk and tired.

"Don't get your knickers in a knot. Skeeter might have caught her. She might be going round guests with her Father-"

"Her Father will be playing cards," Draco answered and Blaise shot her a look, which asked 'what the fuck?', to which she just nodded, then Blaise gave her a light push to stand out of sight behind the wall.

"Think you should ask her about the whole Skeeter thing, mate," Blaise smiled, catching both boys' attention.

"Well I fucking would if she was even here," Draco moped, and before Blaise entered the room, he acted as if something caught his eye, and whispered to her.

"Try your best and scare him. I'll leave the door open. Take your shoes off so you don't make a noise. I'll whistle a little when he's facing away from the door-"

"Blaise? What are you doing?"

"Nothing, just seen something in the corridor. Must've been an elf or something," he trailed off before whispering to her again, "if he starts rutting you like a rabbit straight away, then I hope you know that me and Theo will have dinner and a show," he smirked and she smacked his head, standing on her tip-toes to do so. "Alright then, no dinner."

Before she could rip his ear off, he stepped back into the room. Might as well go along with it, she thought. Slowly, she removed her heels and found a place for them in her pocket, then waited, listening to their conversation.

"I reckon Theo's right. She's probably either being kept up or lurking around somewhere," Blaise tried.

"I suppose you could be right, but Mother would've brought her here, or at least told her where to fucking go..." he trailed off, then she heard quite a bit of shuffling.

"Back to the game, then?" she heard Nott say, followed by muttered agreements from the other two.

"Your turn, Theo. Make it good," Blaise said.

"Malfoy," Theodore started, "What's the furthest you've gone in the sack, and who with?"

Blaise laughed, as did Theo. After a short silence, she heard Draco chuckle as well, before giving his answer, shuffling as he did so.

"Tracey Davis let me put it in her arse," he sniggered, and she nearly blew her cover, holding in a loud laugh. Of course Tracey would condone such a thing.

"Fucking when? Does Golden Girl of France know about such an act?" Theo laughed. She had a realisation. Good question, Theodore. When did this happen?

"September 13th. Just gone-"

"YOU ARSE FUCKED TRACEY DAVIS ON MY FUCKING BIRTHDAY YOU INSOLENT FUCKING SHIT BAG?!!"

She didn't realise that she'd stomped in shouting until she watched him pale, his face contorting into one of pure fear.

"ON THE SAME DAY YOU HAD YOUR WAY WITH ME?!"

"Well hello to you too, Audrey," Theo smiled, obviously entertained by the show unravelling before him.

"Love- I, I can explain. She-"

"What could you possibly say to make yourself look any better at this point in time, Draco? What could possibly be the antidote right now?"

Her cheeks were flushed, and all she could see was red. Sod what Blaise told her- this was him. Nobody could change him. He's incorrigible.

"I DON'T OWE YOU ANY EXPLAINATION! I WASN'T YOURS! WE WEREN'T TOGETHER!"

That was it. He wasn't changeable. He couldn't apologise. She'd wondered for so long why he'd felt so guilty about that day, and how he'd just let it go at a certain point. How he, in actuality, hadn't apologised. In one world, he was right. He didn't owe her an explanation. He wasn't hers. They weren't together at the time.

But here, she thought she needed something. Clarification. Any indication that he didn't mean to hurt her, or any indication that he didn't know it would mean anything for them. Alas, nothing. He just stood, fists clenched, face red and angered, after just putting it out there that he definitely wasn't sorry for having anal intercourse with Tracey fucking Davis on her birthday, either before or after he took her virginity in the Room of Requirement.

Anyone else in her position would've tackled him, beat him until he couldn't formulate the word 'stop'. But Audrey wasn't 'anyone else'.

"Okay," she whispered, looking to her feet. All of a sudden they seemed interesting, bare and on his library floor.

Acceptance was a constant in her life, and this was no exception. She accepted that she got hurt, and clambered back up. She accepted that she was trapped, and makes the best of her time free. She accepted that Draco might not have gave a flying fuck, and walked away. Literally.

"Audrey, wait-"

"No, Draco. It's okay. You don't owe me any explanations. You're right."

Before he could formulate a response, she shut the door softly behind her, just catching his angered scream from inside the library, banging here and there.

Turning the corner, she found herself in the hallway with the paintings again.

"Don't fret, girl. You'll get your child from one of them."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

"Now, to announce 'best dressed' awards!" Narcissa smiled from the steps. She'd been huddled in a corner, sipping something that a man by the name of 'Antonin' gave to her, trying some sort of move on her, before retreating with a growl and a wink after she told him she was sixteen after he told her he was thirty-one, which was definitely false. The drink was definitely rich with some sort of party drug, but she was parched, and her mind was on Draco.

"This year's been a fantastic turn out, and I'd like to thank you all for coming," she grinned, reaching for an envelope an elf was handing to her. Everybody had voted on a small piece of parchment for two people they thought worthy of the award. Audrey voted 'Rita Skeeter' as a joke, then voted for Theodore Nott. While she was in the library, she hadn't took note of how well-dressed he had turned up to the event, but thinking back on it while she had the parchment in her hand, his robes were very lovely. She'd have voted for Draco, but she was feeling pettier than usual.

"Best dressed gentleman goes to...." she paused, and everyone looked closely, "It's a tie! Marcus Flint, come down!"

Marcus Fucking Flint?

He was a seventh year that Audrey distinctly remembered looked like he was half troll. Well, in September, that is.

He stepped onto the stage, wearing classic dress robes, a pocket watch chain visible. Very classic indeed. He seemed to have had his teeth fixed, and he'd grown into his nose a little. He looked quite good, but Audrey would never admit it.

"Marcus tied 88 votes with... Draco Malfoy!"

What? He wasn't fucking there half the time.

Draco stepped up, giving his Mother a kiss on the cheek. They each got a little enamel pin, which she could even see that was jewelled from the back of the room.

"Best female goes to... Audrey Crouch, who got one hundred and nine votes!"

Fuck. She hadn't tried to walk since that 'Antonin' man gave her the drink, plus, she wasn't 100% there, she didn't think.

She successfully travelled from her corner to the steps, and accepted Narcissa's kiss to the cheek, handing her a pin, this one pink rather than they boys' black ones.

People were applauding them, then she told them to sit while people began to return to their conversations. She remembered thinking about her dress being quite inferior to the ones she'd seen, but was also baffled by the amount of votes she'd got. Who'd voted for her simple pink, off-the-shoulder dress? Beyond her. But, to be fair, she voted for Rita Skeeter for the laugh.

She tried to make her way to her corner again, but was quickly interrupted by a large hand on her elbow, dragging her into the adjacent hallway. Her reaction time was heavily delayed, and only came to her senses when she felt a familiar pair of lips, hungrily devouring hers, before pulling away to feast below her ear.

"I voted for you, you know. This dress just makes your tits look spectacular," he muttered, paying close attention to a particular point on her neck, which usually got a rise out of her.

She stood there. Dormant. This blond locks were blocking her view of the wall in front of her, but she didn't move her head to avoid it. His touches weren't doing anything. She just wanted to huddle to herself into her corner, drinking more of that magical mixture 'Antonin' gave to her.

"Very much surprised you didn't vote for Tracey Davis. Or are you already too far up her arse?"

Her voice was breaking, and she felt tears escape her eyes, but couldn't feel them running down her cheeks. She denoted it to the mixture the man gave her, and turned her thoughts back to her exterior when he tore his mouth from her neck and spoke. His hands were at either side of her head, and he was standing over her in a way she deemed as threatening, but comforting at the same time. What had he given me?

"You know why I didn't vote for Tracey Davis. She isn't anything compared to you," he whispered, and tried to return to her neck, but her hand raised to his jaw, pushing him away.

"Draco, you've hurt my feelings, regardless of whether you intended to or not," she mustered, still not looking him in the eye.

"I know, and I'm sorry-"

"Are you?" she looked at him "Are you genuinely sorry? From first reaction, you didn't seem like it. To me, it seemed like you thought it was justified enough. You didn't owe me anything like an explanation, but if I'd have had one of your dorm mates in my bed on the same day that you'd willingly given something up to me, wouldn't you seek a reason to believe I didn't mean it? That I didn't want to hurt your feelings? Or make you feel lesser?" her voice wavered through her speech, tears going down her face. His face fixed into realisation as she spoke, and when she mentioned the 'lesser' part, he looked away, his eyes closed.

"I would. But I'd have reacted differently. I'd have demanded it, and you didn't. You put your head down and ran away. It isn't nice thinking about you just accepting me being like that with you. Shouting at you when I had no right," he said, grabbing her hands. She would've melted into it, if she was sure he was genuine, but she wasn't and he could see.

"And I'd like to apologise. Genuinely. I did not mean to hurt your feelings. And I certainly didn't think that it would effect what we had. Me and Tracey got with each other the night before, after a little gathering at Pansy's. I was drunk, and I certainly didn't think we'd get with each other the next day. You weren't part of my intentions with Tracey, other than keeping my mind from you."

She felt it. Whether it was the truth serum or not, she knew he had laid his cards on the table. She stood nonchalantly, trying to kick her brain into gear.

"Let me show you how much you mean to me," he whispered.

Right then, she felt a massive inner conflict. She could walk away, take time away from him, come to a decision when she was conscious of what she was doing.

Or she could feel him. Feel what he wanted to let her know. Feel what he meant to her.

"Show me, Draco," she whispered, and his eyebrows rose, before he looked at her in disbelief.

Gaining his bearings, he laced his hand into hers, and led her down a passage to a more secluded set of stairs, walking beside her up them.

He turned left, right, and left again, then stopped at a door, opening it to reveal his room.

The walls were tall and sort of seaweed green, as were his covers and pillows on his bed, as well as a sofa that was against the wall next to the door  
The walls were tall and sort of seaweed green, as were his covers and pillows on his bed, as well as a sofa that was against the wall next to the door. On the wall opposite the door, there was a desk, and a closed door, much like the other door in the corner on the wall opposite his bed. Next to the door was a shoe rack, brooms against the wall, and a small end table in the corner next to the doorway she was stood in. In classic Draco Malfoy fashion, his wooden furniture was black.

"I'm gonna go and take a sobering potion in the bathroom. Wait on the bed for me?" he asked, giving her hand a squeeze when she nodded, letting go and walking through the door on the wall in front of his bed.

Alone in his bedroom, she gingerly sat on the bed, anxious about creasing the perfect sheets. Running her hands over them, she realised that they were silk. Very much Draco.

Her thoughts on his bedding material came to a halt when he stepped from the bathroom, sporting nothing but grey boxers and a smirk, approaching her. She stood at his arrival, and he gripped her shoulders softly, ghosting his fingers at the zip of her dress.

"May I?"

"Yes," she whispered, shivering when she felt his cold hands on her back, pulling her zipper down. The dress no longer latched on to her, and fell to the floor. She stepped from it, wearing only her pink, lacy knickers she'd worn for him, that he'd seen in her drawer one day, and asked her to surprise him one day with.

"You're bewitching, Audrey," he whispered, moving closer to her. She began to move backwards, nearly falling over when she felt the bed hit the backs of her knees, but she managed to land softly in a sitting-up position. "You're on my mind all of the time. I wake up, think of you. Go to sleep thinking of you. When we're apart, I pleasure myself..." he trailed off, finally coming to a stop, his feet between hers. Her eyes were locked onto his, and the sight of her at her level, looking up at him stirred all sorts in his abdomen. "thinking of you."

His hands came to the waistband of his boxers, pulling them down over his erection and leaving it there, in front of her, in all of it's glory. He gave her soft shove on her shoulders, inclining her to lie down on the bed, her feet dangling off the edge.

"Do you want to know what I think about, Audrey? What I think about doing to you while I've got my cock in my hand?" he asked, huskily, sinking to his knees in front of her. He gripped her ankle, and began kisses on her inner leg. She nodded at his question.

"I think about you taking all of me on your knees. Doing it so well. You do it so well, don't you, Audrey?"

"Erm- I'd like to think so," she muttered, very much liking the feeling of his lips on her legs.

"Oh, let me tell you that I know so, love," he groaned. He reached her knee, then started on the other leg, "I think about these thighs around my head while I'm in-between them, feeling you clench around my fingers," he muttered, going farther than just her knee, right the way up her inner thing.

"I think about the noises you make while I'm doing it as well. You do enjoy it, don't you?"

"Yes, Draco."

"Good to know," he trailed, his kisses turning into little nips and sucking marks into her skin. "Lastly, I think about you around my cock, taking all of me. When I think of you bouncing on me, I fucking lose it, Audrey."

Her belly was warm, and going wild with anticipation from the things he was saying. His hands found the waistband of her knickers, and dragged them down her legs, revealing her to him, soaking wet.

"So gorgeous, love" his voice sounded, his hand coming to spread her legs for him. He blew onto her centre, making her writhe, her back arching for him.

"Draco- need you-" she whined, her hand finding his that was resting on her hip, gripping over it.

In a flash, his tongue was on her, flicking over her clit. His other hand came to her, two digits making their way into her while his tongue worked wonders.

"Oh, Draco!" she moaned, gripping his hand tighter, her back arching again at his touch. He groaned at the feeling, and she clenched around his fingers, motivating them to pump in and out of her.

"I want you to come on my fingers, Audrey," he growled, returning his tongue to her clit, circling, flicking and everything in-between.

"I'm so close, Draco," she breathed, grinding her hips into his tongue. He let her have it her way; tonight wasn't about him.

"Come for me, love" he muttered, before returning his mouth to her clit, sucking in a way she'd never known before. It was euphoric.

"Draco!" she shouted, slipping over the edge of her pleasure. He groaned into her, feeling every part of her come undone. He relished in it.

As she came down, he returned to standing in front of her, stroking over her legs.

"Get comfortable on the pillows, love."

She shuffled up as best she could, considering he'd just given her pleasure to last a lifetime. He crawled on, until he was over her with his hands supporting him on either side of her head. His head came down, connecting their lips heatedly. She felt him against her, yearning to be closer; wanting more. And he gave it to her.

One of his hands travelled down, positioning himself at her entrance.

"Ready, love?" he asked into her neck.

"Yes."

He slid himself in, grunting at the sudden intimacy, letting her adjust to him.

"Draco move, please. I need you to move-" she mustered. His strokes began slow, meaningful and perfect. Her nails scratched rivers into his back, and the heels of her feet rested on his behind as he drove into her.

"I'm gonna lose control if you keep sighing like that on my fucking neck, love," he growled, and she wasn't even aware until he'd pointed it out. She moaned at the thought of him liking her on his neck, and his resolve snapped, along with his hips. He was driving himself deeper and deeper each time, faster than before. She felt pressure on her clit every time his hips came flush with hers, and it was beginning to build up her second orgasm, and she heard him mutter into her ear.

"You feel so good, Audrey. So good. Satisfying all of my needs," she didn't hear what he'd next said. Her mind was elsewhere.

"I won't hit you that much, either if you satisfy my needs, if you know what I mean."

She didn't want this anymore. It wasn't his fault. He was just mumbling to her. He wouldn't have connotated it. But, she still didn't want this anymore. She'd turned off... everywhere.

"Draco, stop," she mumbled, but he didn't. "Yellow."

His hips came to a pause, and he looked at her, finding that she had her eyes widened, staring into his stormy ones.

She shuffled away from him, sitting on the pillows on the opposite side of his bed, glancing at him. He looked lost. Baffled. Concerned.

"Darling, what's wrong?"

He looked as if he could cry. As if she were teasing him.

"Draco, it was something you said... it gave me a flash back. It's not your fault, I-. I can't explain," she sobbed, hugging her legs.

"You don't have to explain, love. Is there anything I can do?"

This side of him proved that Draco was indeed invested in her well-being, and her feelings when he was aware. She'd never admit it, but at the time she wanted to be left alone, but that would leave him to think on it. She was invested in his feelings more than he could know.

"Could you have a bath? With me?" she spoke, barely a whisper.

He just nodded, and approached his bathroom, soon erupting with noises of water running.

The bath was quiet, nice and a get away. Draco's bath was massive, as was the rest of the bathroom, and his bath easily fit the both of them in, Audrey sat between his legs with her back to his front, her head on his chest. They didn't speak much but he played with her hair, clearly entertained by her black curls while she closed her eyes, feeling his accidental touches on her shoulders, melting into his chest.

They slept like babies in his bed, their legs tangled together, and their empty mugs on his bedside, which once contained piping hot chamomile. He'd had elves bring her bread and some cheese for the both of them, snacking on it while talking about Quidditch fixtures of all things. While he drifted off, he held her hand in his, letting himself take guilt away, telling himself he'd make it up to her for as long as she'd let him.

\-------------------------------------

"She can feel it. You can feel me. Growing stronger," the hissing voice spoke. 

It was dark, and she was cold, shivering against the back of the chair.

Her mind kept cutting to to an orb, glowing white-blue, black cloud-like images swirling in the centre, then back to being there; in the chair.

"Give in, Audrey."

Cool sweat. Heavy breathing. Post-jolt feelings in her fingertips.

The nightmare was vivid, almost lucid. She caught her breath, and mulled it over. 'Give in' it said. 'You can feel me', it said.

"Darling, what's wrong, you're pale," she heard next to her.

Get it together, Audrey!

"It's fine, just a bad dream," she mumbled into his skin, quickly realising where she was.

Looking around, the room looked significantly brighter than it had the night before. Draco didn't close his curtains, and light was penetrating through the large windows, revealing the room's secrets to Audrey that she hadn't noticed the night before. On his walls, were paintings that had small signatures in the corners, presumably all his. His work really was gorgeous, and she'd asked him once to paint her something for her her bathroom to look at while she bathed instead of tiles, but he said he'd never get it past his perfectionism to give to her. On the bedside next to her, she seen a text; Divination- the ultimate guide. She chuckled and reached over.

"Been revising in my absence, have you?" she giggled and he scoffed and rolled his eyes, snatching it from her.

"You caught me. I'd read it when I was in here. Well, when I wasn't wanking or sleeping," he shrugged, putting it on the bedside he was next to.

"From that, I'd think that you read none of it," she smiled. She wasn't really joking.

"Cheeky bitch. A man needs to do what a man needs to do when certain things stir. What do you think I did when you used to kick me out of your dorm so that 'my friends didn't think I was dead?' Leaving me all by myself without you in my dorm," he chuckled.

"I have needs like that too, but I certainly wasn't one for doing things like that in a dorm with other people," she laughed.

"Oh, but that isn't what I want to hear!"

"Well, what did you want to hear?" she chuckled at his whiney tone.

"That you all scissored or something. Mutual masturbation. Anything. I'd kill for a threesome with two women," he expressed, and she'd heard it before. He'd already told her that he asked Rose to kiss Audrey during truth or dare that time because he thought it would be hot, putting a show on for him.

"You've said, but I don't know if I could share you. If I had a threesome, it'd be with two men," she muttered and he scoffed.

"Yes, little miss cock slut wants two, doesn't she?" he chuckled.

"It wouldn't be bad, is all I'm saying!" she defended and he sat up, still laughing.

"I'd suggest you put some clothes on. You don't want my pervy elf looking at your tits, do you?" he rose his eyebrows.

"Why would I when my pervy boyfriend does it anyways?" she made him laugh, getting up and digging through her dress to retrieve a pair of his grey joggers and a black t-shirt from her pocket, along with a bra.

She dressed, as did he. He wore an ensemble very similar to hers, and when he turned and noticed, he smirked. His t-shirt hung, whist hers was tucked in, the drawstring tied so that the trousers in question actually stayed up. Her figure was being showed off nicely, in a lowkey manner, which he liked.

"I wore it better, love." 

"Good one. I don't see your fucking hourglass," she smirked, tidying her stuff around.

"Ganpy!" his voice exclaimed, stern. A small, very thin male elf appeared, it's back hunched and it's head down. "Tend to Miss Crouch's dress. Clean it as it should be cleaned, careful with the colour," he demanded sharply, and she made a mental note to scold him as soon as the poor being grabbed her dress.

"Yes, of course Master. Any preference of scent for Miss Crouch?" he glanced at her whilst softly picking her dress up off the edge of the bed. Draco answered the question for her.

"Lavender on Saturdays, is it love?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Oh, and bring us breakfast. Every trimming."

"Mater, Ganpy would like to know if the guest is resistant to foods. Does Miss haves allergies?"

Draco seemed to suddenly become furious, gripping the poor elf by his cloth and bringing him to his face.

"I told you to bring everything. Must I ask Father to have you out?"

Audrey wanted to interfere. The elf looked so scared and upset. But she didn't. She just watched, unbelieving.

"No! Master please don't sends me to Master Lucius! I wants to serve the purest house of Malfoy until I'm dyings sir!"

"What I thought," Draco muttered, shoving the elf away so it could leave.

Audrey muttered a 'thank you' just before the elf apparated, then turned to Draco.

"Must you be a twat towards the very being that prepares your food and washes your clothes? I mean come on, Draco. Would you treat me like that if I were at your beck and call?"

"W-well, no. But-"

"Never mind 'but'. You treat people how you'd want to be treated," she ranted, putting some socks on she'd found in the pocket of the joggers.

"But elves aren't people-"

"Draco, elves are beings with logic and an emotional complex!" she exclaimed, taking her hair from her clips and various ties, leaving it in a wavy arrangement down her back. "You wouldn't treat me like that, would you? If you can speak to him like that, threaten him like that, whose to say you wouldn't do it to me?" she asked, expecting a full answer.

"But I would never do it to you-"

"You clearly have it in you. I've never forgot the way you handled me in the hall just after coming from the hospital wing. You hurt me then, and you weren't concerned in the slightest about if it hurt me or not then," she ranted, and he paled, which quickly turned to anger.

"I fucking apologised to you! What else do you want?"

"I never said I wanted anything. I was just presenting an anecdotal piece of information," she said coolly. It got under his skin.

"What are you expecting to get out of this?" he seethed, and she still looked nonchalant.

"I want you to stop treating them like that," she stated and he nearly lost his shit.

"Like what? They stay here. They choose to serve me!"

"If you really wouldn't behave like that towards me, you'll treat him like you treat me, or how you'd want to be treated, which I hope is the same way you treat me."

Fuck, she was fair. And logical. And too good for him. He could look like a complete bell-end and she'd definitely leave him on the spot, or he could suck her cock and apologise to the elf, then reverse years of treating them like a bit of dirt on his shoes. Decisions, decisions. 

"Ganpy is here with yours and Miss Crouch's breakfast, Master Draco. He apologises for the long wait," his voice trembled, and he came into the door, pushing a cart that had small plates of various breakfast foods, two larger empty plates accompanying them. There was a jug of apple juice and another of orange juice, two cups with them too.

"Thank you, Ganpy," Audrey smiled, and so did the elf at her. She grew up with elves, and always got along well with them. Thinking about it made her face falter as she thought of Winky. As if mind-reading, Ganpy spoke up.

"I understands that you once hads Winky serving your family, Miss. Ganpy would like to give condolences uponst her death, Miss Crouch. Winky's brother works with Ganpy, Miss. He was very excited to hear that we were preparing food for a guest so close to his late sister," he spoke softly and her heart broke, then she turned angered, turning to Draco.

"Why didn't you tell me her brother worked for you?" she asked, her eyes pricking. He'd already filled up his plate and glass, and was mid-chew when she began her interrogation. He shrugged. He really was playing the dickhead card today.

"You know how much she meant to me, and you didn't fucking tell me that one of her triplet siblings is under your roof?"

"Ganpy can leave if you'd like to converse in private-"

"Yes-"

"No-" they said simultaneously. 

"Please take me to Dinky," he asked the elf, who looked to Draco for approval.

"If you're going anywhere, you certainly aren't going on your fucking own," he warned.

"Exactly why you're coming with me."

He growled and set his plate on his end table hard, leading out of the bedroom door and down the staircase they used to access his bedroom in the first place, and it dawned on her that they'd go back through the portrait corridor.

As soon as they turned the corner the voices started.

"It's the girl!"

"The Merlin barer, she is!"

"With our own Draco Lucius!"

Draco turned to her.

"Merlin barer?" he asked, and she quickly led him away before they said anything.

"I don't know. Blaise said it's some old chronie bull," she trailed, finding them in the gran room the ball was in last night. It was almost bare with no decor, and she missed it, but quickly followed the elf to where he was leading her.

"So now you and Blaise are best friends?"

"Draco, just shut up! Who pissed in your coffee?" she hissed, following the elf to a hallway that had stairs going down at the end of it. He didn't reply, just scowled as they descended the stairs into a very beautiful kitchen. A young elf was peeling potatoes in the corner, and looked up when Ganpy cleared his throat, introducing them.

"Dinky, this is Miss Crouch. She wished to speak with you," he said and Dinky started weeping, dropping the potato peeler and the potato into the bucket in front of him, and Draco scoffed, looking away.

"Miss Crouch, it's a p-pleasure to speak with you. I hopes my sister Winky was good to you, and Minky too," he sniffled and she knelt to him, pushing the bucket aside, Draco watching from the doorway.

"Winky was more than good to me, as is Minky. She didn't have a long death, I'd like you to know. And we didn't kill her because of disloyalty, despite what Minky seems to think," she whispered, and the elf nodded, tears still on his face.

"She loved working for you, Miss. My Minky told me she died with you. Minky tells me it was best. Winky would have died serving you, Miss Crouch," he wept and she almost did to.

"She told me. I want you to know that we treated her well, as well. She wasn't harmed with us," she whispered, and he nodded while he wept.

"Thanks you, Miss Crouch," he sniffled, and she nodded, standing and wiping tears from her eyes, before she was scared out of her skin.

"DINKY!" she heard from outside the doorway, footsteps quickly approaching. Draco moved closer to her, taking her wrist in his hand, pulling her close. She'd have shrugged his grip away if the figure hadn't have came through the door.

Draco's Father.

"Dinky! Get up those stairs with a pepper-up for her! Take your time and I'll take your finger!" he shouted, and Audrey was feeling suddenly very sick. He turned to them and smirked. Looking back at the elf, he was pushing is bucket to the side, and she seen that on one hand, he was missing two fingers.

"Draco," he nodded, then focussed on me. "Miss Crouch. I didn't expect to see that you'd... stayed the night. I hope the elves have tended to any of your requests?" he asked, looking at Ganpy.

"She stayed with me. I was giving her a tour," Draco piped up, tightening his grip on Audrey's arm- something Mr. Malfoy took note of and smirked at.

"Very well, Draco," he said, before turning and leaving in a weird, dramatic fashion.

"Dinky apologises, but Master says Dinky must deliver pepper-up to Mistress Narcissa," he stuttered, getting a vial from a cupboard.

"Don't apologise. It's been nice to talk to you, Dinky," she spoke softly.

"The pleasure was mine, Miss," he smiled, disapparating, leaving her, Draco and Ganpy alone.

"Come on, breakfast is getting cold," Draco said, pulling her from the room, leading her up the stairs in silence, into the hallway.

"Keep that one, Draco. She's the key to the future of our family!" the man she recognised as 'Abraxas' in the painting said to him, making him stop, turning to her.

"You know what they're talking about. You're keeping it from me," he said, tone serious. Before she could speak up, one of the paintings did it for her.

"A Crouch girl, half Gaunt is going to give us the most powerful wizard to grace the Earth!"

He looked at her, shocked.

"Come upstairs," he muttered, before speedily turning the corner to the stairs, leading the way to his room again, holding the door open for her when she walked in.

"Tell me what they mean. It's you they've been telling me about. After all these years," he breathed, as if having an epiphany.

"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously, sitting on his desk chair while he paced in front of her.

"They've spoke to me since I was little. Mother always said to not take notice. They always said I'd marry the raven-haired girl. I thought they spoke about Pansy, but when I asked, they said she wasn't pure enough for me. Tell me what they mean," me muttered, meeting her eyes with his. Above anything, he looked fascinated.

"Draco, I don't think it's real-"

"I don't care. Tell me," he pleaded.

"Barty told me of it. He said my Father only gave Mother another child because of a century-old prophecy. It says a Crouch-Gaunt girl is going to birth some sort of powerful wizard. I done some digging and found that there was a girl some decades ago that fit the criteria," she told him, and he wandered closer, standing over her.

"What happened? Where is she?"

"She died during childbirth. They're buried in the cemetery at the house. Her and her son," she said, and he knelt, grasping her hand. "He died when he was five, so none of them really carried on the line anymore. I was glad to find out I wasn't inbred all too much," she smiled, and he chuckled.

"Why don't you think it's real?" he asked.

"I just don't. I found out not too long ago, and I think I would've known sooner if it was real," she spoke softly, and he looked confused.

"You found out not too long ago?"

"Well I just said that," she said, and he grew more confused.

"You said Barty told you," he looked, suspiciously and her insides squirmed, trying to find an excuse.

"Draco, he wasn't the only Barty," she said, referring to her Father. He believed it, and no longer pressed it.

"If you don't think it's real, then we'll leave it," he smiled, reaching up and stroking her cheek. She liked him like this. Tender and accepting. Much of a turn around from the events earlier, which she decided to bring up at a later date. It was important, but she didn't want to spoil his mood.

"Thank you," she smiled, accepting his kiss on the lips, her hands moving to the nape of his neck to keep his lips on hers. He shuffled so he was kneeling between her legs while she bent to kiss him from her sitting position on the chair, his hands immediately drawn to her thighs.

Her fingers found his hair, and began softly massaging into his scalp, while his own lightly squeezed the skin on her thighs, inching closer and closer to her centre, being sure to have touched every part of her jogger-clad thighs as he could. Her tongue pried it's way into his mouth, which he was very accepting of, letting her control what was happening, considering what had happened the night before.

He let her explore his mouth while he refrained from moving his hands to anywhere but her legs, trying to to move her along too fast, letting her set the pace.

"Bed, Draco," she said, pulling away. He nodded and she lifted her legs to allow him to pick her up, reattaching their lips when her legs wrapped around his waist while he walked them over, gingerly placing her onto his, now made, bed.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, Draco," she muttered, pulling his top so he'd meet her lips with his again, her hands then working on his drawstring tied at his hips, while his untucked her t-shirt from his joggers, his hands seeking her skin immediately.

She managed to pull his joggers down along with his boxers, and he pulled apart from her to remove them himself, while she worked on removing everything but her bra, watching him pull his shirt over his head. He tossed it to the floor with all of their other clothing items, his eyes focussed on the girl, ready and almost naked for him on his bed. Bliss.

He growled, crawling up to cover her body with his, his arousal obvious, poking her lips between her thighs, while he tended to her neglected neck, marking his territory like an animal, thrusting against her legs to find friction.

"'m gonna fuck your tits," he murmured, pulling his lips from her neck and moving to straddle over her stomach, almost groaning when she gripped her breasts, readying for him. "Good girl," he commented and she smiled up at him, feigning innocence. 

He wandlessly summoned a bottle of lotion from his bathroom, and handed it to her. She took it with a smile and watched his face concentrate on her hands pumping some of the substance onto her fingers, and proceeding to use it to massage her breasts. He rocked a little when he watched her squeeze her own nipples, groaning when she pushed them together, waiting for him.

He shuffled forwards, and watched his cock slide between her breasts, shuddering at the warmth her skin provided him.

"Feels so good," he muttered, his head back while he rocked into her chest. He gasped when he watched her stick her tongue from her mouth, catching a bead of precum from his sensitive tip and fetching it back to her mouth. Behind him, he knew her legs were going a bit mental, trying to find some sort of friction he couldn't give her.

He grew close after he picked up the pace, and she anticipated it too, pushing her breasts tighter around him for his pleasure at his finish, but that wasn't the aim of his game.

He drew himself right to the edge, allowing himself to fall over just before pulling away from her chest, grunting and groaning as he painted her with his seed, stroking himself through his orgasm. When he squeezed his eyes shut, all he could do was feel, but when he opened them again to see her attempting to gather his seed on her finger, then bringing it to her lips, he decided on her reward.

"Let me lie down. You're sitting on my face," he panted, giving one of her breasts a light slap before climbing off her to take her place on the bed. He noticed that she was just kneeling, instead of taking her place over him, and wondered why. "Needn't be shy, love" he smirked, and she blushed, crawling over.

She straddled his face, and tried to find a grip on the headboard to support her before she sunk onto him, but he had other plans. His hands found her thighs, and he forced her down onto his face impatiently. She yelped at the sudden forcefulness, but she wasn't going to stop him. 

His tongue got to work immediately, circling her entrance while his fingers trailed to her clit, softly applying pressure to tease her into grinding on his face. He got what he wanted, and she was making noises that he could listen to for a lifetime while she rubbed herself onto him, giving in to the urge.

He got her close and, as always, stopped before she could reach climax, making her climb off him.

"On your front. Facing the side. One leg bent like you sleep," he panted, and she obeyed, doing just as he said.

He groaned when he watched, then moving to straddle over her straight thigh, lining himself with her opening.

"Beg for me," he demanded. He knew he could get a rise out of her after he'd denied her release not one minute ago.

"Draco, please." she mustered, before carrying on, "n-need your cock. Please fill me up," she whined, much to his pleasure.

He chuckled, before granting her wish, grunting at the tightness provided by the new position. With the pleasure, Draco's head fell back in bliss, and stayed that way until he heard a very demanding voice.

"Draco, fucking move," she whined. He complied, absolutely trying to fetch her to breaking point. She was clenching around him, and when he began to slowly move, she nearly started crying. "Draco, please!"

He genuinely couldn't resist. Who was he to deny her of rough, fast sex? That would make him an absolute monster.

His pace quickened, and his grip on her sides would surely leave bruises, but she couldn't register it for the cock buried in her, hitting against her cervix.

"I'm gonna come right there, Audrey," he muttered, continuously finding that spot that made her toes curl, "Put my cum where it should be."

His pace was unrelenting when he sensed she was close again, and he knew he wouldn't be far behind, especially because of the bliss of the position they were in. His hands grasped at her arse, and his eyes watched her face, glistening and moving into looks of pleasure when she didn't bury it into his pillow.

"Draco, I can't hold much longer," she cried, and he pounded harder, being sure that he would immobilise her if he was any rougher.

"Fucking come on my cock, Audrey," he grunted as she screamed into his pillow, allowing herself to immerse in the feeling he was giving her. As predicted, her muscles around him prevented him from going much longer, and after a particularly hard thrust, he buried himself as deep as he could, keeping his promise of giving his cum where he wanted it to be. She was lost in coming down from her high, so much so that she almost didn't hear what he muttered into her ear as he collapsed on her back, his cock still inside of her.

"I bloody fucking love you."

Draco Malfoy? Loved her?

She'd thought of it for a while- whether she loved him. She got a hot feeling in her chest when he done some quite mundane things, and she had often thought at night if it was butterflies or something more. Then there was the constant fear of thinking he'd reject her love. If he'd leave her. But he'd said it. She hoped, with her next words, that he meant it.

"I love you, too," she mumbled, grabbing his hand as he pulled out and off of her. With her words, he didn't reply, but placed kisses all over her back before turning her over to inspect the damage done. I say damage- more like art to him. She was a beautiful canvas that he admired his own work on frequently after being with her intimately.

His eyes trailed from her swollen lips to her marked up breasts, then to her hips, which were red in little patches he assumed where the pads of his fingers once were. Looking at her cunt, he seen some of their fluids threatening to spill, quickly sending his hand to save it, paying close attention to influencing it back into her with a satisfied sigh.

"I'll run you a bath, my darling," he smiled, a spring in his step while he strolled to his bathroom.

She sat up, refusing to acknowledge that he'd said he loved her, instead focussing on the warmth in the smile he shot her before he left, feeling a familiar warmth in her chest as her mind wandered.

Shit. She was in deep.

Meanwhile, Draco stood next to his bath, watching the water run into the tub, thinking about their conversation earlier.

"She can feel it. You can feel me. Growing stronger," the hissing voice spoke. 

It was dark, and she was cold, shivering against the back of the chair.

Her mind kept cutting to to an orb, glowing white-blue, black cloud-like images swirling in the centre, then back to being there; in the chair.

"Give in, Audrey."

Cool sweat. Heavy breathing. Post-jolt feelings in her fingertips.

The nightmare was vivid, almost lucid. She caught her breath, and mulled it over. 'Give in' it said. 'You can feel me', it said.

"Darling, what's wrong, you're pale," she heard next to her.

Get it together, Audrey!

"It's fine, just a bad dream," she mumbled into his skin, quickly realising where she was.

Looking around, the room looked significantly brighter than it had the night before. Draco didn't close his curtains, and light was penetrating through the large windows, revealing the room's secrets to Audrey that she hadn't noticed the night before. On his walls, were paintings that had small signatures in the corners, presumably all his. His work really was gorgeous, and she'd asked him once to paint her something for her her bathroom to look at while she bathed instead of tiles, but he said he'd never get it past his perfectionism to give to her. On the bedside next to her, she seen a text; Divination- the ultimate guide. She chuckled and reached over.

"Been revising in my absence, have you?" she giggled and he scoffed and rolled his eyes, snatching it from her.

"You caught me. I'd read it when I was in here. Well, when I wasn't wanking or sleeping," he shrugged, putting it on the bedside he was next to.

"From that, I'd think that you read none of it," she smiled. She wasn't really joking.

"Cheeky bitch. A man needs to do what a man needs to do when certain things stir. What do you think I did when you used to kick me out of your dorm so that 'my friends didn't think I was dead?' Leaving me all by myself without you in my dorm," he chuckled.

"I have needs like that too, but I certainly wasn't one for doing things like that in a dorm with other people," she laughed.

"Oh, but that isn't what I want to hear!"

"Well, what did you want to hear?" she chuckled at his whiney tone.

"That you all scissored or something. Mutual masturbation. Anything. I'd kill for a threesome with two women," he expressed, and she'd heard it before. He'd already told her that he asked Rose to kiss Audrey during truth or dare that time because he thought it would be hot, putting a show on for him.

"You've said, but I don't know if I could share you. If I had a threesome, it'd be with two men," she muttered and he scoffed.

"Yes, little miss cock slut wants two, doesn't she?" he chuckled.

"It wouldn't be bad, is all I'm saying!" she defended and he sat up, still laughing.

"I'd suggest you put some clothes on. You don't want my pervy elf looking at your tits, do you?" he rose his eyebrows.

"Why would I when my pervy boyfriend does it anyways?" she made him laugh, getting up and digging through her dress to retrieve a pair of his grey joggers and a black t-shirt from her pocket, along with a bra.

She dressed, as did he. He wore an ensemble very similar to hers, and when he turned and noticed, he smirked. His t-shirt hung, whist hers was tucked in, the drawstring tied so that the trousers in question actually stayed up. Her figure was being showed off nicely, in a lowkey manner, which he liked.

"I wore it better, love." 

"Good one. I don't see your fucking hourglass," she smirked, tidying her stuff around.

"Ganpy!" his voice exclaimed, stern. A small, very thin male elf appeared, it's back hunched and it's head down. "Tend to Miss Crouch's dress. Clean it as it should be cleaned, careful with the colour," he demanded sharply, and she made a mental note to scold him as soon as the poor being grabbed her dress.

"Yes, of course Master. Any preference of scent for Miss Crouch?" he glanced at her whilst softly picking her dress up off the edge of the bed. Draco answered the question for her.

"Lavender on Saturdays, is it love?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Oh, and bring us breakfast. Every trimming."

"Mater, Ganpy would like to know if the guest is resistant to foods. Does Miss haves allergies?"

Draco seemed to suddenly become furious, gripping the poor elf by his cloth and bringing him to his face.

"I told you to bring everything. Must I ask Father to have you out?"

Audrey wanted to interfere. The elf looked so scared and upset. But she didn't. She just watched, unbelieving.

"No! Master please don't sends me to Master Lucius! I wants to serve the purest house of Malfoy until I'm dyings sir!"

"What I thought," Draco muttered, shoving the elf away so it could leave.

Audrey muttered a 'thank you' just before the elf apparated, then turned to Draco.

"Must you be a twat towards the very being that prepares your food and washes your clothes? I mean come on, Draco. Would you treat me like that if I were at your beck and call?"

"W-well, no. But-"

"Never mind 'but'. You treat people how you'd want to be treated," she ranted, putting some socks on she'd found in the pocket of the joggers.

"But elves aren't people-"

"Draco, elves are beings with logic and an emotional complex!" she exclaimed, taking her hair from her clips and various ties, leaving it in a wavy arrangement down her back. "You wouldn't treat me like that, would you? If you can speak to him like that, threaten him like that, whose to say you wouldn't do it to me?" she asked, expecting a full answer.

"But I would never do it to you-"

"You clearly have it in you. I've never forgot the way you handled me in the hall just after coming from the hospital wing. You hurt me then, and you weren't concerned in the slightest about if it hurt me or not then," she ranted, and he paled, which quickly turned to anger.

"I fucking apologised to you! What else do you want?"

"I never said I wanted anything. I was just presenting an anecdotal piece of information," she said coolly. It got under his skin.

"What are you expecting to get out of this?" he seethed, and she still looked nonchalant.

"I want you to stop treating them like that," she stated and he nearly lost his shit.

"Like what? They stay here. They choose to serve me!"

"If you really wouldn't behave like that towards me, you'll treat him like you treat me, or how you'd want to be treated, which I hope is the same way you treat me."

Fuck, she was fair. And logical. And too good for him. He could look like a complete bell-end and she'd definitely leave him on the spot, or he could suck her cock and apologise to the elf, then reverse years of treating them like a bit of dirt on his shoes. Decisions, decisions. 

"Ganpy is here with yours and Miss Crouch's breakfast, Master Draco. He apologises for the long wait," his voice trembled, and he came into the door, pushing a cart that had small plates of various breakfast foods, two larger empty plates accompanying them. There was a jug of apple juice and another of orange juice, two cups with them too.

"Thank you, Ganpy," Audrey smiled, and so did the elf at her. She grew up with elves, and always got along well with them. Thinking about it made her face falter as she thought of Winky. As if mind-reading, Ganpy spoke up.

"I understands that you once hads Winky serving your family, Miss. Ganpy would like to give condolences uponst her death, Miss Crouch. Winky's brother works with Ganpy, Miss. He was very excited to hear that we were preparing food for a guest so close to his late sister," he spoke softly and her heart broke, then she turned angered, turning to Draco.

"Why didn't you tell me her brother worked for you?" she asked, her eyes pricking. He'd already filled up his plate and glass, and was mid-chew when she began her interrogation. He shrugged. He really was playing the dickhead card today.

"You know how much she meant to me, and you didn't fucking tell me that one of her triplet siblings is under your roof?"

"Ganpy can leave if you'd like to converse in private-"

"Yes-"

"No-" they said simultaneously. 

"Please take me to Dinky," he asked the elf, who looked to Draco for approval.

"If you're going anywhere, you certainly aren't going on your fucking own," he warned.

"Exactly why you're coming with me."

He growled and set his plate on his end table hard, leading out of the bedroom door and down the staircase they used to access his bedroom in the first place, and it dawned on her that they'd go back through the portrait corridor.

As soon as they turned the corner the voices started.

"It's the girl!"

"The Merlin barer, she is!"

"With our own Draco Lucius!"

Draco turned to her.

"Merlin barer?" he asked, and she quickly led him away before they said anything.

"I don't know. Blaise said it's some old chronie bull," she trailed, finding them in the gran room the ball was in last night. It was almost bare with no decor, and she missed it, but quickly followed the elf to where he was leading her.

"So now you and Blaise are best friends?"

"Draco, just shut up! Who pissed in your coffee?" she hissed, following the elf to a hallway that had stairs going down at the end of it. He didn't reply, just scowled as they descended the stairs into a very beautiful kitchen. A young elf was peeling potatoes in the corner, and looked up when Ganpy cleared his throat, introducing them.

"Dinky, this is Miss Crouch. She wished to speak with you," he said and Dinky started weeping, dropping the potato peeler and the potato into the bucket in front of him, and Draco scoffed, looking away.

"Miss Crouch, it's a p-pleasure to speak with you. I hopes my sister Winky was good to you, and Minky too," he sniffled and she knelt to him, pushing the bucket aside, Draco watching from the doorway.

"Winky was more than good to me, as is Minky. She didn't have a long death, I'd like you to know. And we didn't kill her because of disloyalty, despite what Minky seems to think," she whispered, and the elf nodded, tears still on his face.

"She loved working for you, Miss. My Minky told me she died with you. Minky tells me it was best. Winky would have died serving you, Miss Crouch," he wept and she almost did to.

"She told me. I want you to know that we treated her well, as well. She wasn't harmed with us," she whispered, and he nodded while he wept.

"Thanks you, Miss Crouch," he sniffled, and she nodded, standing and wiping tears from her eyes, before she was scared out of her skin.

"DINKY!" she heard from outside the doorway, footsteps quickly approaching. Draco moved closer to her, taking her wrist in his hand, pulling her close. She'd have shrugged his grip away if the figure hadn't have came through the door.

Draco's Father.

"Dinky! Get up those stairs with a pepper-up for her! Take your time and I'll take your finger!" he shouted, and Audrey was feeling suddenly very sick. He turned to them and smirked. Looking back at the elf, he was pushing is bucket to the side, and she seen that on one hand, he was missing two fingers.

"Draco," he nodded, then focussed on me. "Miss Crouch. I didn't expect to see that you'd... stayed the night. I hope the elves have tended to any of your requests?" he asked, looking at Ganpy.

"She stayed with me. I was giving her a tour," Draco piped up, tightening his grip on Audrey's arm- something Mr. Malfoy took note of and smirked at.

"Very well, Draco," he said, before turning and leaving in a weird, dramatic fashion.

"Dinky apologises, but Master says Dinky must deliver pepper-up to Mistress Narcissa," he stuttered, getting a vial from a cupboard.

"Don't apologise. It's been nice to talk to you, Dinky," she spoke softly.

"The pleasure was mine, Miss," he smiled, disapparating, leaving her, Draco and Ganpy alone.

"Come on, breakfast is getting cold," Draco said, pulling her from the room, leading her up the stairs in silence, into the hallway.

"Keep that one, Draco. She's the key to the future of our family!" the man she recognised as 'Abraxas' in the painting said to him, making him stop, turning to her.

"You know what they're talking about. You're keeping it from me," he said, tone serious. Before she could speak up, one of the paintings did it for her.

"A Crouch girl, half Gaunt is going to give us the most powerful wizard to grace the Earth!"

He looked at her, shocked.

"Come upstairs," he muttered, before speedily turning the corner to the stairs, leading the way to his room again, holding the door open for her when she walked in.

"Tell me what they mean. It's you they've been telling me about. After all these years," he breathed, as if having an epiphany.

"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously, sitting on his desk chair while he paced in front of her.

"They've spoke to me since I was little. Mother always said to not take notice. They always said I'd marry the raven-haired girl. I thought they spoke about Pansy, but when I asked, they said she wasn't pure enough for me. Tell me what they mean," me muttered, meeting her eyes with his. Above anything, he looked fascinated.

"Draco, I don't think it's real-"

"I don't care. Tell me," he pleaded.

"Barty told me of it. He said my Father only gave Mother another child because of a century-old prophecy. It says a Crouch-Gaunt girl is going to birth some sort of powerful wizard. I done some digging and found that there was a girl some decades ago that fit the criteria," she told him, and he wandered closer, standing over her.

"What happened? Where is she?"

"She died during childbirth. They're buried in the cemetery at the house. Her and her son," she said, and he knelt, grasping her hand. "He died when he was five, so none of them really carried on the line anymore. I was glad to find out I wasn't inbred all too much," she smiled, and he chuckled.

"Why don't you think it's real?" he asked.

"I just don't. I found out not too long ago, and I think I would've known sooner if it was real," she spoke softly, and he looked confused.

"You found out not too long ago?"

"Well I just said that," she said, and he grew more confused.

"You said Barty told you," he looked, suspiciously and her insides squirmed, trying to find an excuse.

"Draco, he wasn't the only Barty," she said, referring to her Father. He believed it, and no longer pressed it.

"If you don't think it's real, then we'll leave it," he smiled, reaching up and stroking her cheek. She liked him like this. Tender and accepting. Much of a turn around from the events earlier, which she decided to bring up at a later date. It was important, but she didn't want to spoil his mood.

"Thank you," she smiled, accepting his kiss on the lips, her hands moving to the nape of his neck to keep his lips on hers. He shuffled so he was kneeling between her legs while she bent to kiss him from her sitting position on the chair, his hands immediately drawn to her thighs.

Her fingers found his hair, and began softly massaging into his scalp, while his own lightly squeezed the skin on her thighs, inching closer and closer to her centre, being sure to have touched every part of her jogger-clad thighs as he could. Her tongue pried it's way into his mouth, which he was very accepting of, letting her control what was happening, considering what had happened the night before.

He let her explore his mouth while he refrained from moving his hands to anywhere but her legs, trying to to move her along too fast, letting her set the pace.

"Bed, Draco," she said, pulling away. He nodded and she lifted her legs to allow him to pick her up, reattaching their lips when her legs wrapped around his waist while he walked them over, gingerly placing her onto his, now made, bed.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, Draco," she muttered, pulling his top so he'd meet her lips with his again, her hands then working on his drawstring tied at his hips, while his untucked her t-shirt from his joggers, his hands seeking her skin immediately.

She managed to pull his joggers down along with his boxers, and he pulled apart from her to remove them himself, while she worked on removing everything but her bra, watching him pull his shirt over his head. He tossed it to the floor with all of their other clothing items, his eyes focussed on the girl, ready and almost naked for him on his bed. Bliss.

He growled, crawling up to cover her body with his, his arousal obvious, poking her lips between her thighs, while he tended to her neglected neck, marking his territory like an animal, thrusting against her legs to find friction.

"'m gonna fuck your tits," he murmured, pulling his lips from her neck and moving to straddle over her stomach, almost groaning when she gripped her breasts, readying for him. "Good girl," he commented and she smiled up at him, feigning innocence. 

He wandlessly summoned a bottle of lotion from his bathroom, and handed it to her. She took it with a smile and watched his face concentrate on her hands pumping some of the substance onto her fingers, and proceeding to use it to massage her breasts. He rocked a little when he watched her squeeze her own nipples, groaning when she pushed them together, waiting for him.

He shuffled forwards, and watched his cock slide between her breasts, shuddering at the warmth her skin provided him.

"Feels so good," he muttered, his head back while he rocked into her chest. He gasped when he watched her stick her tongue from her mouth, catching a bead of precum from his sensitive tip and fetching it back to her mouth. Behind him, he knew her legs were going a bit mental, trying to find some sort of friction he couldn't give her.

He grew close after he picked up the pace, and she anticipated it too, pushing her breasts tighter around him for his pleasure at his finish, but that wasn't the aim of his game.

He drew himself right to the edge, allowing himself to fall over just before pulling away from her chest, grunting and groaning as he painted her with his seed, stroking himself through his orgasm. When he squeezed his eyes shut, all he could do was feel, but when he opened them again to see her attempting to gather his seed on her finger, then bringing it to her lips, he decided on her reward.

"Let me lie down. You're sitting on my face," he panted, giving one of her breasts a light slap before climbing off her to take her place on the bed. He noticed that she was just kneeling, instead of taking her place over him, and wondered why. "Needn't be shy, love" he smirked, and she blushed, crawling over.

She straddled his face, and tried to find a grip on the headboard to support her before she sunk onto him, but he had other plans. His hands found her thighs, and he forced her down onto his face impatiently. She yelped at the sudden forcefulness, but she wasn't going to stop him. 

His tongue got to work immediately, circling her entrance while his fingers trailed to her clit, softly applying pressure to tease her into grinding on his face. He got what he wanted, and she was making noises that he could listen to for a lifetime while she rubbed herself onto him, giving in to the urge.

He got her close and, as always, stopped before she could reach climax, making her climb off him.

"On your front. Facing the side. One leg bent like you sleep," he panted, and she obeyed, doing just as he said.

He groaned when he watched, then moving to straddle over her straight thigh, lining himself with her opening.

"Beg for me," he demanded. He knew he could get a rise out of her after he'd denied her release not one minute ago.

"Draco, please." she mustered, before carrying on, "n-need your cock. Please fill me up," she whined, much to his pleasure.

He chuckled, before granting her wish, grunting at the tightness provided by the new position. With the pleasure, Draco's head fell back in bliss, and stayed that way until he heard a very demanding voice.

"Draco, fucking move," she whined. He complied, absolutely trying to fetch her to breaking point. She was clenching around him, and when he began to slowly move, she nearly started crying. "Draco, please!"

He genuinely couldn't resist. Who was he to deny her of rough, fast sex? That would make him an absolute monster.

His pace quickened, and his grip on her sides would surely leave bruises, but she couldn't register it for the cock buried in her, hitting against her cervix.

"I'm gonna come right there, Audrey," he muttered, continuously finding that spot that made her toes curl, "Put my cum where it should be."

His pace was unrelenting when he sensed she was close again, and he knew he wouldn't be far behind, especially because of the bliss of the position they were in. His hands grasped at her arse, and his eyes watched her face, glistening and moving into looks of pleasure when she didn't bury it into his pillow.

"Draco, I can't hold much longer," she cried, and he pounded harder, being sure that he would immobilise her if he was any rougher.

"Fucking come on my cock, Audrey," he grunted as she screamed into his pillow, allowing herself to immerse in the feeling he was giving her. As predicted, her muscles around him prevented him from going much longer, and after a particularly hard thrust, he buried himself as deep as he could, keeping his promise of giving his cum where he wanted it to be. She was lost in coming down from her high, so much so that she almost didn't hear what he muttered into her ear as he collapsed on her back, his cock still inside of her.

"I bloody fucking love you."

Draco Malfoy? Loved her?

She'd thought of it for a while- whether she loved him. She got a hot feeling in her chest when he done some quite mundane things, and she had often thought at night if it was butterflies or something more. Then there was the constant fear of thinking he'd reject her love. If he'd leave her. But he'd said it. She hoped, with her next words, that he meant it.

"I love you, too," she mumbled, grabbing his hand as he pulled out and off of her. With her words, he didn't reply, but placed kisses all over her back before turning her over to inspect the damage done. I say damage- more like art to him. She was a beautiful canvas that he admired his own work on frequently after being with her intimately.

His eyes trailed from her swollen lips to her marked up breasts, then to her hips, which were red in little patches he assumed where the pads of his fingers once were. Looking at her cunt, he seen some of their fluids threatening to spill, quickly sending his hand to save it, paying close attention to influencing it back into her with a satisfied sigh.

"I'll run you a bath, my darling," he smiled, a spring in his step while he strolled to his bathroom.

She sat up, refusing to acknowledge that he'd said he loved her, instead focussing on the warmth in the smile he shot her before he left, feeling a familiar warmth in her chest as her mind wandered.

Shit. She was in deep.

Meanwhile, Draco stood next to his bath, watching the water run into the tub, thinking about their conversation earlier.

"Barty told me of it. He said my Father only gave Mother another child because of a century-old prophecy."

He knew she'd said it. Unless her Father talked about himself in the third person, Draco had digging around to do and questions to ask. Immediately.

He knew she'd said it. Unless her Father talked about himself in the third person, Draco had digging around to do and questions to ask. Immediately.


	24. i swear to you.

Draco huddled to her on the boat. Diggory and that bird of his sat opposite, flexing his muscles like a fucking idiot. She was shivering, and wet and his muggle watch read 12:16. The water had not done her good, and he could see she was struggling to keep herself composed. He'd ask her about it, but it felt premature. He was trying his best, he really was, but he couldn't help sighing when she shrugged him off.

"I haven't forgiven you."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

12 HOURS EARLIER

"Draco, you need to try this!"

Daphne handed him a bright pink shot of something he couldn't identify, but drank it anyways. He flashed her a look, and he seen a bit of Rose in her. Granted, they were twin sisters, but they looked quite different. All she ever used to complain about was her 'disgrace of a sister' that he'd never met, and from what he'd heard of Rose, she was an uncivilised, feral, disgusting, overweight, pathetic shell of a girl. The Rose he'd met was far from those things.

He couldn't recall how it had turned into a drinking party. After a couple of weeks of being in school, Audrey finally told him she needed a night to herself. He knew she got like that sometimes, and he obliged after they had a small tiff over the fact that Draco said that she didn't look too well. Audrey took it to offense, and became anxious. Then he told her off for being insecure, and he lashed out when she said that he gave her a reason to be, considering how much she found out he'd told Blaise about her.

Then he came to the dorm, finding Theo, Daphne, Astoria, and Pansy in his and the other two boys' shared room with drinks and cards on the floor. Daphne kept ordering quiet Astoria to fetch more and more bottles from their stash, and soon enough, Draco was off his face whispering to Theo about everything 'amazing' about females, simultaneously receiving copious amounts of unnamed drinks from Daphne. Theo spoke to him after he downed his drink.

"You know, I've not had my face in a pair of tits in so long, Draco. I've got fucking withdrawals," he muttered, his head lolling onto Draco's shoulder. Draco was sat against the foot of his bed, Theo on him and the rest scattered in a circle engrossed in a conversation about Pansy's promiscuity and Blaise's womanising. "But there's this one girl. She's gorgeous. I met her yesterday. Such lovely tits, Draco. So perfect. She told me I was charming. Me! I asked her if she was doing anything tomorrow, but she said she was busy. I'd kill to have her in bed every night. Wouldn't mind her around, either," he trailed.

"Must be a special girl," Draco said to him.

"She is. I think you've met her. She looks like Daphne, but ten times fitter, and tits twice as big," he reminisced.

"You seem to be infatuated with her tits, Theo. That's Daphne's sister. She's quiet, but funny."

"Oi, Daphne!"

"Yes, Theo?" she drawled.

"Reckon your sister's got someone?"

"As if, Theo! Her and her little friend are the world's biggest virgins you've ever seen!"

Draco smirked to himself, and Theo playfully elbowed him. Clearly, Pansy hadn't told her about what he'd said while playing truth or dare a couple of months ago.

"Her friend isn't, Daphne. Not sure about her, though," she wondered, and Daphne immediately became confused.

"Who fucked her? She's a twig, and her proportions are strange! She shouldn't have hips so prominent for someone who only eats vegetables and potatoes!" she ranted, and Draco thought to himself. Over the passed twenty three days, he'd been thinking strongly about the prophecy. He didn't know what to think, but he'd found a few things that lined up. Her hips, for example. They were prominent, but not so much you'd think she'd altered herself. Child-bearing hips, he thought.

"I fucked her," Draco muttered, before he could stop the truth from surfacing. The girls immediately started speaking in hushed whispers, whilst Theo resumed their conversation, as if Draco hadn't just admitted to fucking the Minister's daughter.

"How long's it been since you got some, Draco?"

"What's today's date?" he muttered, and Theo laughed.

"22nd. Well, 23rd now," he said.

"Twenty two days. Nothing else either. She could graze my cock with her fucking arm and I'd rut at it. I'm like Jesus in the fucking desert," he spat, gulping down drink from a glass Daphne placed next to him.

"What'd you do? You must've fucking stabbed her- WAIT. Is it because she found out about the whole Tracey Davis crack?" he questioned, his Northern accent prominent.

"No, she moved passed it. She kept telling me she wasn't in the mood, then when I'd suggest that she at least gave me a little help, she'd have my fucking arse," he complained, and Theo laughed.

"You're a bloody idiot. If she's not in the mood to be fucked into next week, then why would she want your dirty dick in her mouth?" he chuckled, and Draco scoffed.

"My dick is anything but dirty, first of all. And second of all, she didn't need to be so angry about it. She kicked me out just today because she wanted time on her own, but watch her be buddy buddy with me when she wants fucked," he said, and Theo looked to him.

"I don't think she's the type for that. You'll either end up going to her and apologising, because you're pussy whipped as fuck, or she'll come to you, genuinely apologising in case she hurt your feelings, then you'd insist on make-up sex, or you march there after a bit and convince her to let you fuck it out of her. Whatever it is, your whipped arse has your tail between your legs," he said, smartly. He made his points very clear, and Draco took note.

"You say that whichever option I have my tail between my legs. If she apologises to me, then how is my tail between my legs?"

"Because you'd tell her that you're the one in the wrong, just like you are. When you sober up, you'll realise," Theo muttered, looking into space as he sipped his whiskey.

"How am I in the wrong? I just wanted to do normal boyfriend-ish things, but she didn't want it and I'm frustrated about it," he complained.

"Draco, did it cross your mind that something might just be not right with her?"

Draco paled in realisation, beginning a thought process of things potentially wrong.

She'd stopped getting post, but he thought that was a good thing. She was no longer getting those letters.

She had a tournament task tomorrow, she could be stressed.

She was tetchy about showering together, and she wouldn't let him in while she was doing so, even though she'd change in the bedroom as normal, so it wasn't like she didn't want him to see her naked.

She definitely wasn't pregnant. and he wasn't ill, so it couldn't be something she caught. He definitely would've had it.

"Probably just the tournament, Theo."

\------------------------------------------------------

TWO HOURS LATER

"Fuck, Daphne. Fuck, Fuck. FUCK!" he growled, pulling out of her, ejaculating onto her stomach.

"Draco, I told you to come inside," she whined underneath him.

"You got your fucking shag, Greengrass. You and I both know you like the risk of it," he panted, dropping to lay next to her, coming down from his high, finding it quite sobering.

"Whose better then? Me, Pansy, Astoria, or her?" she smirked.

"Her."

She smacked him, right across the face, not wanting to believe him. But, she had to. It was the truth. She was the one who laced his drinks with short-living promiscuity potions and veritaserum. She'd obviously never best her twin sister's little friend.

"I don't know why you're slapping me. You wanted the truth," he said, moodily.

"What makes her so good? Why aren't you with one of us? We're as good-looking as she is. Probably more so," Daphne interrogated and Draco sighed.

"When I'm fucking her, I'm not thinking about how she'd look if she found our I'd fucked you," he said.

"Why would she fucking care?"

"I'm her bloody boyfriend, Daphne."

The last he seen of Daphne before she ran from the room was a smile, dripping with malice.

\---------------------------------------------------

"Darling, she's lying to you. I swear to you," he tried, but she turned her back to him.

"Draco, I don't fucking care," she whispered. 

The small boat was tied to the small pier-like structure and she almost jumped to it immediately, walking at an ungodly speed, almost flying towards the path to the castle.

"Good luck getting yourself out of that one, mate," he heard Diggory laugh from behind him.

"Oh, just fuck off, would you?" Draco trailed, his eye catching on Potter talking with Audrey's Father. What the fuck would he want with him.

In a strop, Draco followed her route to the castle, losing her in a gaggle of Hufflepuffs.

"FOR FUCK'S SAKES!"

"Come on, mate. There's more whiskey in the dorm," Theo muttered into his ear, guiding them to the castle. 

\-----------------------------------------------

"How the fuck did they even get their hands on shit like that?" Theo paced, and Draco took another swig straight from the bottle.

"I don't fucking know, Theo. Damage is bloody done. She'll never fucking believe me," he moped, and Theo became agitated.

"I can't believe you slept with all fucking three of them," he scolded, and Draco put his hands up in defence.

"I was drugged, mate. I couldn't control what I was doing," he trailed off, taking yet another swig.

"Well she's obviously going to have a hard time believing you! You anally penetrated Tracey fucking Davis on her birthday not even twelve hours before you put her virginity in your bastard pocket!" he seethed, and Draco was genuinely scared. He looked like he was about to stab him, his eyes searing into his own.

Theo's gaze was broken by the swing of their door, and Draco didn't see who entered, but their voice gave them away.

"WHAT THE FUCK HAS HE DONE NOW?!"

"Rose, it wasn't my fault-"

"SHE'S LOCKED HERSELF IN HER BLOODY FUCKING BATHROOM YOU TWAT! I DIDN'T SPEND ALL THAT TIME UNDERWATER FOR HER TO DROWN IN HER FUCKING BATH!"

Theo moved to the side, and he could now see that she was livid. The room was dark, the sun had set around three hours ago, but he could still make out the pure anger across her face.

"They drugged me! I didn't mean to hurt her!" he defended, but she didn't falter.

"YOU FUCKING IMBECILE!" she screamed, but before she could continue, the door came open again, revealing the three pieces of utter shit he unknowingly fucked the night before.

"Haven't you heard?" Pansy questioned, shock smeared across her.

"Astoria, say 'Hi' to sissy," Daphne spoke, her voice laced with hate.

"Heard about what, Pansy? What could you tell me that I'd possibly want to fucking know?!" Draco growled, and Pansy spoke up again.

"Potter and his friends were walking through the forest with that oaf of a giant. They found the Minister!" she exclaimed, and Draco became more angry.

"Good for fucking them, they saw the Minister in the forest," he drawled.

"Draco, you don't understand," Astoria began, her sentence being completed by Daphne.

"They found him dead."

\---------------------------------------

When he found her, she was running. Straight to... Moody's classroom?

Rose and Draco sprinted out of his dorm as soon as they'd been told about Audrey's Father, and split up running around school looking for her after an interaction he could only describe as awkward between Rose and Theo.

He went to her room, finding the place untouched, save for some blood he saw on her sink, as if it had been smeared by her fingers. It was close to the drain, and when he left, he ran twice as fast, afraid she'd hurt herself.

He was leaving, and ascending some random stairs when he seen her running to Moody's class, banging on the door. He didn't want to approach, but instead found a way to listen to what was going on, placing himself in the alcove right next to the door while she was distracted with her knocking.

"What is it? It's after curfew!" he heard Moody growl.

"It's me, you psycho!" she whisper shouted, looking around to see if anyone could hear her. Little did she know, he was squatting in the alcove like a mad man.

The door flew open, presumably by spell, and she ran inside. He knew his actual room was up the stairs in the classroom, so she would've had to run all the way up to the stairs before she got there. Distraction. An open door. He took his chance, sliding in after her, just before the door slammed shut, and just out of sight of her.

As predicted, she sprinted at an unhuman speed to the stairs, stepping two stairs at a time, and slamming the ajar door of the Professor's room open.

Draco crept his way so he was standing against the stairs, still on the floor, and out of sight of anyone who happened to look out of the door into the room.

"YOU KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED MY FUCKING FATHER!" she screamed. Literally screamed. His ears rang.

"I told you I would," a voice that definitely wasn't Moody's said, "Now it's just us, Audrey. You'll see."

"SEE WHAT, BARTY?!"

There it was. His missing answer. The time she was abruptly taken from potions- explained. When she was asked to stay after class- explained. When she slipped, using Barty in a current timescale- explained. Despite what every witch, wizard and squib under the sun had been told, Bartemius Crouch Junior did not die in Azkaban.

"That what I'm doing is for your benefit," he spoke, calmly. Draco shuddered. He was a room away from a murderer. He'd been in the castle all year with someone who tortured all those people.

"Killing my Father is for my benefit, is it?" she seethed.

"Doing what Amycus says is. You know how he works. I don't obey, you get put in the cage. I'm unscathed."

Did he just say 'put in the cage'?

"So he told you to do it then?"

"He and another party. Amycus just wants you untethered. Technically, you're his responsibility now," he sighed.

"Another fucking party? You're bloody insane, did you know that?" she shouted.

"I am not insane!" he shouted back, very stern, "I know what I'm doing," he spoke.

"Oh yeah, of course you do. You've killed a parent before, haven't you, you sick fuck!"

He killed their Mother? I thought she was ill

"HOW MANY TIMES, AUDREY! I DIDN'T BLOODY KILL HER!" Barty screamed.

"You fucking let her do that! YOU LET HER TAKE YOUR SPOT IN THAT PLACE!" she screamed, and Draco knew by the break of her voice that she was crying, and he felt the urge all over his body to pick her up, hold her, and run away from everything she's facing, her in tow. But that was just him. Run-away-from-problems kind of man. She accepted and suffered them. Neither of them were Gryffindor enough to truly face anything, which is what he realised when she would sweep things under the rug.

"I TOLD HER NOT TO!" Barty screamed, louder than any of the speech he'd heard prior. It seemed to shut Audrey up as well, "It was him. He made me do it because she wanted to."

Who done what? WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?

Draco wondered, and turned his head while thinking, smacking his head on the wall behind him.

"There's someone outside," Barty whispered. "Go check. Now. I'm telling you. There's someone against the staircase!"

Now you've done it, Pillock!

Draco heard Audrey's footsteps approaching the top of the stairs, then for the first time in ten minutes, seen her. Her hands gripped the bannister and her head peaked over, her eyes widening when she seen his figure standing against the wall in question.

"There isn't anyone here, you fat oaf," she said, keeping up a very good façade, in his opinion. Her eyes remained on his

"Prove it, Ducky," he said, and Draco could hear his smirk.

"Bartemius Caspar Crouch, there is nobody in the room," she said, straight faced, winking at Draco before she turned to walk back into the room.

"I told you to prove it," he said, in a playful tone.

"Do you think that if someone was in the room, I would've said your full name? You know, the person whose supposed to be dead?" she proposed and he hummed.

"Smart one, aren't you. That swotty little elf always told me you drooled over the library in the house," he said, "I got sick of it. That elf. Real fast."

"Well, maybe if you should've served your time instead of listening to her," she replied fast, and sharp- a tone Draco was familiar with.

"I couldn't stay in there. Not with them," he muttered, Draco barely caught it.

"You should've considered that before landing yourself in there."

"I COULDN'T PREDICT THAT THEY'D SAY WHAT THEY SAID! DO WHAT THEY DID!" Barty burst.

"What did they say? Which one?"

"Fucking Rabastan. I'd get letters, you know. From Mother. She sent them every Thursday. Me, Rabastan and Rodolphus shared a cell," he said and Draco nearly vomited. Rodolphus Lestrange. His uncle. "She sent pictures of you. So I didn't forget what you looked like. They'd.... take them."

For a minute, Draco felt sorry for him. They took pictures of his sister away from him? What for? He knew they cursed other people, but that was just nasty. What's the point? Why would they possibly want to take photos of an eleven year old girl away?

"Why? To get a rise out of you? Did they give you them back?" she questioned, and Draco thought he heard a shattering sigh come from the man in the room. "Why are you crying? What did they do?"

"They'd..." he started, then sighed, "I'm not saying. I don't want to repeat. But you promise not to ask around?"

"Who the fuck would ask? Where would the right people to ask be, Barty? I'm certainly not going to prison anytime soon," she tried to comfort by providing these reasons, cooing as she did so, but was interrupted by a string of heart-broken words.

"They might come to you," he sobbed, and she started rambling questions left, right and centre, questions Draco begged to ask, amongst all of the other questions about his existence in his head he was desperate to ask her.

"What do you mean? How? Why? Barty, tell me-"

"I'VE SAID TOO MUCH!" he bellowed, silencing her. "Get out," he sighed.

"Barty," she began to weep, "I can't be on m-my own," she cried. He made a mental note not to leave her by herself tonight, even if he had to grovel for forgiveness.

"You can't be with me right now! I have no sympathy for that piece of shit you called a fucking Father, Audrey. Go and cry to some fucker else. I'm sure every one knows you're the world's second biggest orphan!"

First being four-eyed scar head upstairs.

"I hate you," she wept. He barely heard it, so he assumed she had her head in her hands.

"Mother taught you never to hate," Barty spat.

"SHE'S FUCKING DEAD! ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! BOTH OF THEM!" she screamed, and before he could re-gain his hearing, the door slammed and she was stomping down the stairs, crying to her apparent audience. Of whom, she dragged by the collar towards the door as soon as he was in arm's reach.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," he repeated, his collar pulling on his neck while she writhed him to the door, pushing him out of it against the wall opposite as soon as it opened. She joined him there, standing in front of him, her hand drifting to point her sharp nails into his chest.

"You had zero fucking business following me in there, you twenty-four karat twat," she murmured in a threatening voice, something he wasn't used to.

"Your dad died, Audrey! You never told me you called it quits, so assuming, as your boyfriend, I should be the one comforting you! I followed you in there because I thought it was innocent old Professor Moody's office! Not bloody what's-his-name!" he defended, and her face softened at the mention of him comforting her. He'd never let on that he intended not to be seen while going in, and he guessed he could let it bother him for eternity if she was speaking to him again. Selfishness isn't ideal, but what could he have done?

"I get it, I'm sorry," she panicked, bringing her hands to cradle her head.

"No! Don't be sorry. You're allowed to be irrational," he reasoned and she nodded. "Considering the little amount I know, I'd be a bit all over the place. Not to mention what they've told you about me," he said softly. He hoped she'd appreciate him trying to understand what she was going through, but he didn't. He wasn't an orphan. His one remaining loyal family member hadn't just been murdered. He wasn't under the impression that he'd been cheated on three times, with three other people.

"I don't know how to feel," she murmured, "it's frustrating. I'm going to assume you've got a bank of questions waiting to be answered. I know I would. Hell, I have. I want answers too," she looked to him thoughtfully.

"You'll get them. Put me on veritaserum. I don't care. I'll tell you everythi-"

"I know you will," she whispered, interrupting his pleas. "But not here. Not my room either. I don't want an early wake in there. People will have gone for a nosy," she sniffled, rubbing the remains of the tears that were once on her face.

"My room?" he suggested.

"I think Pansy warded the common room. She said I'm banned until they kick me out of my room," she muttered, and his fists balled while he growled, thinking about the vile creature that was Pansy Parkinson.

"The Room of Requirement, then?" he made another suggestion, but she shook her head, trying to re-regulate her breathing. He wanted to let her curl into him, but it definitely would've been too premature.

"I want to go to the house," she whispered, and he nodded. "Have you had dinner?"

"N-no. We came in and started drinking straight away. I'm surprised I'm not dizzy," he smiled.

"Good. The elves will be restless. Speaking of which, these elves are my family's. You'll treat them like you'd treat any pureblood," she muttered, holding her arm out. He winced at the memory of the rattling behaviour he displayed the last time they were in the presence of an elf together.

"I promise," he spoke, taking her arm. She didn't reply, instead taking him straight through the sickly twists and turns of apparition.


	25. maybe twenty days.

They whirled back into a setting- Audrey's house to be exact. Draco felt he'd never get used to apparition, especially not when she was taking him from North Scotland to Sailsbury. Still, he needed to be invested in her feelings; for her.

"Alright?" he panted, brushing the wrinkles from his shirt. He hadn't had time to put his robes on, so he was quite cold, wearing only his white shirt and black trousers.

"Bit of a silly question, Draco."

She led off to the house, expecting him to follow behind.

The lawn and plants were all in ship-shape, and the stairs looked as if they'd been put there yesterday, not as if they'd been put there 150 years ago.

"Come on, Draco!"

He was pulled from his thoughts about her well-cleaned stairs to the current situation. His feet carried him to her, who was waiting patiently by the door, under the shelter from the rain. Her hand turned the door handle, and they were met with silence inside. She removed her robe, hanging it on the pegs he'd failed to notice before, behind the door. There were four- a black one, a white one, a red one with black crosses on them, and a light blue peg with white clouds painted on, which was the one she placed her robe onto.

"You're wet, correct?" she asked, turning to him. He nodded, realising that his clothes were soaked.

"Erm, yes."

"We'll sort something out. You can't have a cold," she smiled, and his chest heated up. "Any requests for dinner? I want a special dinner," she stated, taking a couple of coins from her pants, and putting them into the pocket on her cloak.

"Special dinner? What do you mean?"

"Like a three course kind of thing. It's silly, really. It may sound awful, but even though he's dead, it's my Father's birthday," she said, looking down at her shoes.

"It's not silly at all, love. I think it's rather traditionalist of you," he muttered.

"Good. Any requests?"

"Anything you fancy. You know I'll eat anything. Well, apart from-"

"Fish," she completed, and he smiled. He'd told her he hated any and all fish when she was babbling to him one night of a muggle item named 'fish fingers'. He thought the idea was absurd, as was the fish itself. His remembering was cut short when she gasped, grabbing the slightest bit of his shirt arm to pull him into the next room; the main entrance sort of room. It had a sofa and chair set- too fancy looking to be considered to be in a room a family would sit in.

"You must be freezing! I'm having a bath, so you should too while I'm in there," she explained, and he grew happy at the thought of bathing in her presence again.

"Where's your room?"

"It's westwards-"

"MISS AUDREY!"

Here we bloody go.

A small army of elves flooded into the room from a door across the room, all of them crying or sniffling into their cloths. Leading the pack was a familiar elf, Minky.

"Miss, please don't make us leave! We'll serve you the rest of your life! Even the blond boy! Anything to remains in your employments Miss!"

The other nine or so elves nodded, and mumbled words of promise and agreement, some begging.

"The house is in my name, and so are you. If you don't want to leave, I won't make you," Audrey muttered and they sobbed and sighed in relief. "I'd like to ask you all a favour, actually."

"What, Miss? We'll do anything!"

"Could you make Mother's favourite special meal? Please?" she almost whispered, and he immediately started wondering what 'Mother's special meal' was.

"Of course! We haven't made it in nearly five years, Miss!"

Audrey nodded and smiled at them, and he heard her mutter something along the lines of 'that long?', but thought not to ask over it. All of the elves scurried away to make said meal, and she started approaching the stairs, ascending them as elegantly as always.

\-------------------------------------

"You can wash in here," she whispered, opening a door to reveal a room that wasn't her bedroom. "I'm in here," she mumbled, and pointed to the door next to the one she opened, "come in when you're washed, and you can use my drawer to get more clothes."

His heart sank. He really had his hopes up. But, what did he expect? For all she knew, he was a man slag who used her for a shag, a comfy bed and a bath. But, as he, Theo, Pansy, Astoria and Daphne knew, he definitely wasn't. But his biggest question is, why? Why would they do it to him. It was hurting him. He supposed he now knew how it felt to Potter and his tribe when somebody told something cruel and untrue to someone important. But, the thing is, what they'd told Audrey wasn't complete lies. He had done that. With the three of them.

"I'll see you soon, we'll talk when we're finished. I'm owling Barty to tell him to make up some excuse for us. I'm staying here tonight. You can stay too if you'd like. If you do, I promise you won't have to sleep in there. If not, I'll take you back after dinner," she trailed off, and before he could tell her that he would stay, she turned and entered her room, softly closing the door behind her.

He didn't quite know what to do with himself. She'd left him in the hallway, to think about what he wanted to do and what he wanted to tell her. Which brought him to that situation. What would he tell her? Obviously the truth, but would he twist it? To make himself more believable. No, he couldn't. Could he? What the fuck would he say? 

His sopping shirt brought him back, and he turned to find the door ajar. Pushing it open revealed a bedroom, which looked ship-shape and well-looked after. Audrey's room was quite different to this, however. This room was far less... well, grown up. The walls were cream, apart from the furthest from the door, which had wallpaper on it, displaying lemon branches all over. On said wall, was a bay window with pastel yellow and white cushions, just like the colour of the sheets clad on the three-quarter four poster in the middle of the wall to his right. Above it were shelves of books of all sorts of genres, along with a couple of trophies and awards, next to little trinkets on display.

He knew immediately that it once belonged to her when he spotted three frames over the bed, each containing the letters A, J and C. There was another door to his left, which he assumed led to the bathroom, of which did not disappoint. It was filled with neutral tones, and beside the sink, a pink stool caught his eye, on top of it lay a small, folded towel. The bath was copper, as was the sink. The toilet was almost hidden behind a half-wall beside the door. Granted, it was smaller than the one of hers he was used to, but it wasn't tiny what so ever. What stuck out most to Draco though, was that this bathroom led to some sort of balcony, of which he was desperate to inspect.

The doors opened at his touch, which he'd never admit made him flinch. The more he seen of the back gardens, the more he believed the elves were compulsive and somewhat obsessive. It was immaculately cared for. The flowers were blooming, even in January, probably because they'd used charmed fertilisers. Taking a deep breath, and letting his mind drift a little, he took a second look, trying to imagine running passed the small pond, out of the gate at the end of the paths, and into the flowing river beyond the boundaries of the garden. Upon closer inspection, he watched a swing tied to a tree move slowly with the breeze, imagining swinging on it, jumping off at the peak of the forwards movement, into the water. All this river thinking made him gasping for this bath. She'd got him hooked on the things.

Curiosity killed the cat when he turned to his side and spotted another ajar set of doors open on the balcony that weren't the one's he'd come through  
Curiosity killed the cat when he turned to his side and spotted another ajar set of doors open on the balcony that weren't the one's he'd come through. He approached, and found a smile-inducing scene behind the glass doors.

Audrey was sat in the bath, bubbles to her neck and covering her, supressing a giggle as she read something presumably amusing in the book she held over a tray she'd places on the bath's edges, hovering over the bubbles, with orange juice on a wooden coaster. He spotted the dainty sapphire necklace he'd given her on her through the bubbles, and he put his hands in his pockets to refrain from running to her and devouring her. She threw her head back in another giggle, and spotted him. Her smile didn't fade, only her giggle settled.

"Something funny?" he asked, with a smirk.

"This woman in my book is just a right man-eater! She's whoring around, but the author has tried to make the fact that she's a workaholic an excuse for doing so. She's just told one of the men that she wants to break up after he leant her 'insurance money' for an accident that was a lie!" she laughed, and he smiled. He couldn't laugh, because he was quite the whore from the recent events she'd been notified of. He took to looking at his shoes, then noticed a massive detail he'd completely missed.

"Aren't these doors where the wall should be?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Dumbledore said I could only have one exit door from the rooms as a whole, and I'd rather walk out of a door into a hallway than jump from a balcony," she smiled. "Is your bath running?"

"No. I was a bit busy snooping about," he said, absolutely not feeling guilty what-so-ever, sporting his smirk.

"Nosy-ing about my stuff? Tell me why I should be surprised," she spoke, with a smirk of her own, making him laugh. "You'd best go and run your bath."

He nodded and turned away, putting the doors back as they were, and gave her one last glance before making his way back to the doors of the other bathroom.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Love, I need clothes."

Draco stood in her doorway, towel wrapped around his lower half, his torso deliciously on show- as he liked it. She didn't stare though, as she usually would. Instead, she got up and motioned him to follow her through to the wardrobe. He definitely thought he'd catch her in pyjamas, yet he stood corrected. She was wearing a black, wool jumper and some black muggle denims, accompanied with the necklace he'd given to her, the aquamarine ring on her finger, and her hair down and in it's natural form- straight with little kinks in the ends.

"I thought you'd be in pyjamas. It's nine, you know," he muttered, glancing out of her window, looking at the dark sky cast behind the tree in front of the glass.

"Jane Crouch would turn in her fucking grave if I turned up to dinner in even my fanciest pyjamas," she smiled. Thinking about it, Narcissa Malfoy would've had his arse as well. 

He followed her through, watching her close her eyes before opening the drawer, and pulling out a grey jumper and some black trousers, along with a pair of brogues.

"Get dressed in here. I want to talk before dinner, and... show you something. I don't want to talk about anything negative when we eat," she spoke, and he nodded, "I really think you'll like dinner. It sort of matches your tastes."

With that, she left. He didn't know what to think. She was speaking softly, and he didn't know if it was in defeat, or just her being wary, or confused. The thing is, she seemed to know what she wanted to do, and seemed confident. He just hoped that after they'd patched things up, it wouldn't be awkward. Well, if she let him patch things up. For all he knew, she brought him here to get away with murder.

Once dressed and in ship-shape, Draco emerged from the wardrobe after putting the towel into her wash basket. She sat on the bed, her gaze on him and her hands fiddling with a sealed letter in her hands.

"Alright?" he asked, not really knowing what to do with himself apart from drag her desk chair over to sit opposite her.

"I think so. It's not quite real yet," she looked down.

"I get it. It'll hit. And I'll be here, if you'll have me," he spoke seriously, and she nodded, changing the subject.

"So, we definitely need to talk. I've been thinking about it and-"

"Please. Let me at least try and tell you what happened," he interrupted.

"I wrote this while I was on my own earlier. I was going to send it to you tomorrow, but timing hasn't been fantastic today," she continued, ignoring what he said. He began to sweat a little, preparing for the inevitable. She was going to break up with him in the letter, rather than in person. Suppose, he deserved it. He was a cheat. "I'd like you to read it now," she said, putting it gingerly into his lap.

It was happening. It was really happening. How could something so good to him, so good for him end so quickly? It had literally been a month and two days. But, to be fair, he'd been with her for just about three months. He'd told her he loved her. The only other person he'd said that to was his Mother. She'd told him she loved him, too. Had she stopped.

He took the envelope in his hands, inspecting it. 'DLM' it read on the front, and on the back was a wax seal, an 'A' decorated with vines around it stamped into the red substance. After he picked at it, it came open, revealing parchment covered in her handwriting. Extracting it, he unfolded the parchment and braced himself.

Draco,

We both know I'm not too good at these kind of things. I'm not the most forward person when it comes to things like this, but I'm trying my best.

What Pansy told me was, initially, a massive shock. It made me angry at first, of which is something I'd like to apologise about. I didn't have a right. I'd been not as intimate with you recently, and I can't blame you for trying to find it elsewhere. 

I'd really like to speak with you, only if you'd want to. Please.

Audrey.

He almost coughed. What was she apologising for? Of course she had a right to be angry! He was a blasted cheater!

"What would you have said to me if I met you?" he asked, after having the question sat on his mind for all of three milliseconds.

"Well, I would've said sorry. Again," she said, looking him in the eye.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Audrey."

"I do-"

"No, you don't," he almost whispered, cutting her off. "I did that to you, regardless of what happened and what I'd taken. You were told I cheated, on you, three times. It's barely forgivable! Never mind something you should be apologising to me about. The fact that we hadn't been intimate shouldn't be important," he spoke, and she looked down, and he couldn't really see the couple of tears escape her eyes until she looked back up and started speaking without breath.

"Well, I just felt discarded. Like something disposable. Then, I thought it was my fault because it shouldn't be like that, and you shouldn't have to be with other people to be happy because I'm doing a shitty job! I was just not feeling well, then I started swelling around my belly because Amycus stopped my post, and started taking away my tablets, and-"

"He took your pills?"

There. But his question is, why didn't she tell him? He would've understood, right? He'd have come off her case, at least. She looked puzzled in his concerned tone.

"Well, yes. He stopped them on the second, and I took my last one on the third. I started bleeding, obviously, and I stopped the day before yesterday-"

"It's the twenty-third! That's nineteen, maybe twenty days! Why didn't you tell me?" he gripped her hands softly after throwing the letter to the ground at his side.

"Well, I didn't think you'd appreciate the knowledge," she muttered, staring at their hands.

"Look at me," he whispered, and her eyes drifted to his, his middle warming up, "Things like this, I need to know. What wouldn't I appreciate. Being with you isn't just sex, Audrey. I love it all. That's why I told you I loved you. I didn't stop when a specific area became difficult."

He squeezed her hands, and he seen more tears threatening to spill, her lip trembling a little.

"Now, I believe I owe you an explanation. I don't think Daphne Greengrass is your biggest fan. She slipped me a bit of promiscuity brew. Theo knows. I tried to tell you, but I'm assuming that the way set me up didn't make me look good."

"It didn't, really. She said you slept will all of them because I couldn't give you what they had to give, and she said you told her that yourself," she said, letting a couple of tears slip over.

"No, no, no, they've got that bit wrong. Daphne was the last of them. She asked me which of the four of you was best. I said you, then she slapped me. I know it seems far-fetched, but-"

"Draco, I believe you."

Those words meant a lot to him. He'd thought that she was going to break up with him, and never give him another glance. One could say that the tables had turned, but he still felt guilty, even though she believed him. She watched him well up, and for the first time, she saw him cry.

"Draco, what's wrong?" she cooed, standing up to hug him from his seated position to his side. He grasped her arm around him and spluttered. He'd never been so.... vulnerable, but she just seemed to fetch it out of him. All his life, he played his cards close to his chest, but now they might as well have been on the table in front of her.

"You're just so good to me and I'm bad for you! Why do you keep me?" he sobbed. He couldn't help it. All he done was hurt her, repeatedly. She couldn't live like this forever.

"I don't think that. If I thought you were bad for me, I wouldn't have wasted so many bath bombs on you, would I?" she joked, making him chuckle through his tears. He thought then, that things might just be alright. Might being the key word.

\------------------------------------------------------

"We hopes Mistress Audrey and her company likes the meal," Minky spoke, giving Draco a plate from a little cart she pushed. On the plate in question sat their starter; a bowl of a red soup with two pieces of buttered baguette next to it, presented neatly.

"Thank you," Draco said to the elf, after Audrey did the same. 

The dining room was large, and had photographs on the walls, four with each of them, singular, inside, and a large one on the wall opposite the large windows of the four of them. Audrey looked around seven, sitting on the ground smiling next to a rather small dog, her family either sat or stood behind her.

Audrey sat at the head of the table, per the elve's requests, and Draco sat beside her facing the view of the lit-up garden through the wall that was nearly all window panes.

"It's a special kind of soup," Audrey spoke, taking him from his fascination with a cherry blossom tree outside, "My grandmother Matilda made the recipe, and she never told me what it was because she was afraid I wouldn't eat it when I found out it had vegetables in."

Draco chuckled, thinking about how he, himself wouldn't have at the old age of nine.

"Are you close with her? Your grandmother, that is."

"Not at all. She favoured Barty because any heir of his would be legitimate. She would've wanted me to marry back into the family, but Morfin's sister was disowned for marrying Mr. Riddle," she explained, taking a spoonful of soup. He did the same, and his taste buds erupted to the flavour of the mystery soup. He nearly moaned.

"So you and You-Know-Who are only one generation apart?"

"Technically. Merope was born when my great-grandfather Marvolo was sixteen. Morfin was born when he was thirty. You-Know-Who was born nineteen years before my Mother. They would've made me marry his offspring if his dad weren't a muggle. Plus, he would've been called something like 'Matthew' or 'Michael' to keep the aesthetic of the family names."

"But your Mother was called Jane. Wouldn't that not have tainted the aesthetic anyways?" he asked, dipping the bread into the soup he'd deemed orgasmic.

"My Mother was called Monica Jane Gaunt. She called herself Jane, though. She got away with calling me and Barty names outside of the 'M' category because we're Crouch's."

There was a short pause. It wasn't uncomfortable, but Draco suddenly remembered he had a big fat tonne of questions to ask.

"Speaking of Barty,"

"Barty the murderer, or Barty the identity thief, or Barty the prison escapee? Please be specific," she said with a smile. It made him chuckle.

"All of them, please."

"Well, Barty the prison escapee is nothing new. My Mother's dying wish was for him to be free. They got him out on a polyjuice potion trick, and he lived here for three years under Barty Sr's imperius. He escaped, and Winky told my Father straight away, so Amycus got mad. Barty the identity thief told me he needed to get into the castle to become closer to me so he made sure I done nothing stupid. Barty the murderer means nothing to me. He wanted to kill him because he didn't collect Mother's body from Azkaban when she died. He killed the person I had left."

It was a lot for Draco to take in right now. Luckily, the soup was doing him wonders. Barty Crouch Jr had been out of prison for nearly four years? But, he seen her point. Her Father, as absent as he was, was her only protection.

"So, what is going to happen to you, do you think?"

"No idea."

\------------------------------------

Draco watched her skim a stone over the river, his body warming when she squealed at the five jumps the stone made. He, himself was going backwards and forwards on the swing hanging from the tree next to the river, not going too high so that she was still in his sights. They'd been speaking of all things they felt they needed to since dinner. Speaking of dinner, he was fully satisfied, filled to the brim with the orgasmic food he'd been given not an hour ago. After the soup, a steak came his way, followed by cheesecake. He was absolutely and completely content in that area.

"So, I'm not saying that you shouldn't have, but why did you believe me so quickly?"

He needed to know. He certainly wouldn't have believed a word he said if he were her.

"I was told not to tell you, but Astoria told me," she said, turning to sit against the tree.

"Astoria told you what?" he asked, skidding his feet under him, slowing to a stop.

"The truth. She was put on a potion as well. I was with Rose when she told me, and Rose believed her, so I didn't have a reason not to. That's why I didn't owl my apology after I'd written it," she reasoned, watching him approach and sit on the grass opposite her. Before they'd came out, Draco cast warming charms on their clothes to beat the January chill, and was pleasantly surprised when the ground beneath them was completely dry.

"She never told me she was put on something as well. I wouldn't have slated her as much," he smirked, and she shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"She begged for my forgiveness. We'd been friends for a long time, but Daphne never liked me. I used to go to theirs for a week before going to Amycus's in summer. But he found out that the summer holidays are seven weeks, not six and I had a lot of explaining to do," she smiled.

"Those three are strange, wouldn't you say? Astoria is so quiet, but Daphne and Rose aren't. Daphne's all about the blood supremacy shit and the other two aren't arsed. Daphne and Rose look different to Astoria. And Rose doesn't even attend the same school as the other two. Why?"

Draco had thought on this once before. Why was Rose sent away? Why did Astoria have blonde hair, while the other two had dark brown? 

"Rose and Daphne are twins, but they never got along. Like at all. Daphne tried to push Rose from her balcony once, so their Dad, Phillip, sent Rose to the French school and Daphne to Hogwarts. Astoria went to Hogwarts because she was closer to Daphne growing up, because Rose started at Beauxbatons two years before Daphne started at Hogwarts. They look different because Astoria has a blood curse. Don't ask me about it, I have zero fucking clue."

That certainly answered his questions.

"Hold on, darling. She tried to push her off the fucking balcony?"

"Yeah, there's proof and everything! Astoria was playing about with a camera while it happened and snapped a moving image. Daphne wanted it burned, but her Father has it somewhere. She tried to push her out on their ninth birthday because she told Astoria that she could have hers and Daphne's old rollerblades," she explained, emphasising the points which proved that Daphne Greengrass was, indeed a psycho.

"Fuck me, she never bloody told us that. All we ever heard from her about her family was her 'fucked up sister and her pathetic little friend'," he quoted, laughing along with her at the anectode.

"Pathetic little friend. I'll remember that when she's choking at the dinner table and nobody knows a releasing charm," she laughed, then calmed to ask him a question. "Do you think they'll make fun of me? Because my dad's.... well, you know."

"I wouldn't say so. Anyone who does," he brought up his hand and made a fist, smirking, "will have to deal with me."

"Oh, what will you do? Tell your Father?" she teased, making him glare, then throwing a fake punch to her cheek, making a 'bosh' noise when his fist softly came into her cheek, making her laugh.

"Tease me, and I'll have you, love. You know I can't take it when I dish it out," he smiled, and spoke jokingly, both of them laughing again, before falling into a short, comfortable silence.

"Draco?"

"Yes?"

"I want to go back. To school. I've thought on it, and I don't think I can stay here," she spoke, turning to face him with a soft expression. "My Mother's here. Her painting, I mean. She wanders around at night and it unsettles me."

Draco didn't know how to feel about that. The paintings at his house were all sealed so that figures couldn't move around the house. He certainly hadn't seen her. 

"Draco, I think I want you to meet her. If you'd be alright to, that is."

He thought on this. He remembered feeling like that. How desperately he wanted Audrey to meet his Mother. She probably thinks she's some slag who he snatched upstairs for a New Year's night of fun from what his Father's probably told her. But it wasn't like that at all. She was more than that to him, which felt unfamiliar, but familiar at the same time, as if he'd known her all her life, rather than just under six months. But that's what falling in love is, he guessed. He just prayed she felt the same.

"Whatever you want, love."

\-------------------------------------------------

Audrey's hand reached for the handle on the door. He'd never seen this part of the house before, her room and the study he'd been in was on the other side of the house, as was the dining room. She was hesitant to being him here, he could tell, but now she seemed comfortable.

"She's easily impressed, so be yourself. I should probably warn you that she isn't the only one in here, and the rest might ask questions." she said, pausing in her pursuit to open the door to a room which he assumed contained all the paintings.

"Always myself. Unapologetic about it too," he smirked, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Tell me about it," she muttered, finally opening the door.

A soon as he stepped over the threshold, he heard hushed whispers. All around the room.

The room in question was beautiful. The ceiling was trimmed with gold details, especially around the hanging structure which held burning candles. There was a sofa in the centre of the room facing a fireplace, behind it to the end of the room was a table with what looked like some sort of board game displayed on it. In the corner on his left was a rocking chair next to a crib, something he found particularly strange about the room, but refused to ask her about it until they were alone. To his right were bookshelves, almost exploding with the books squeezed into the poor shelves.

"Find her. Now," a gruff voice came from above the fireplace. Paintings surrounded them. Literally. They were all around the walls. He watched a small boy from one of them turn to a door in his painting, giggling as he closed it. He turned to the painting that spoke, finding a man with hair as black as Audrey's, in a sharp, navy suit stood next to two rather extravagant, empty chairs. He noticed Draco, and spoke again. "Audrey, you brought a Malfoy?"

Draco tensed, and Audrey grabbed his hand for reassurance, rubbing his hand with her thumb.

"Can't you see, you stupid pillock?" another voice piped up, their painting exactly opposite the 'pillock's'. It was a woman, who was very large and red in the face. She wore a dress he assumed was for mourning, as it was black, completed with a sheer black veil that covered her brown hair. "They're courting or something! Can't a young girl get a chap and not be absolutely interrogated? God, Morfin, you're absolutely restless! Monica told you not to scare them off."

So that's Morfin!

"I was merely asking, Camila! No need to berate me, you know," he bit back, and almost every other painting tutted at him.

"Baba, don't let her at you," Audrey said with a smile, winking at the woman Morfin called Camila.

"I should've known you'd be quick to his side. You've got no Black in you, dear."

"Wonder why," a woman in the painting on the right to Camila rolled her eyes.

"What are they talking about?" Draco whispered, and a painting answered his question for him. 

"She isn't one of us, boy. No Black blood in her. Her Father's a half brother of ours. He wasn't from our Charis Black, our Mother. He almost got trapped in by that Avery woman! It's a shame, really, but she died in the birth of him. Didn't even get painted either," she trailed off, and Audrey shook her head.

"Always a pleasure to speak with you, Diana," Audrey giggled and the woman smirked, then turned her attention to Draco.

"You're Narcissa's boy, aren't you? Handsome little thing, you've got there, my dear Audrey." she said, squinting her eyes at Draco.

"Not to be rude, but he's your cousin, Diana," Audrey answered, making Morfin chuckle.

"I don't understand. Are all of these related to you?" Draco asked, scanning the room.

"Yes. Camila and Diana are my Father's half-sisters. My Baba Morfin is there, my Mother's Father. She should be coming with Caspar soon-"

"Is that the little boy? Who is he?" he asked, following her to sit beside the fireplace.

"Yes, that's him. He's my brother, believe it or not."

"Poor boy," Morfin started, "Monica was fifteen when he was born. We had to take him from her. She couldn't look after him, and when she could, he moved into here and fell from the bedroom window when he was three. It was that stupid Carrow boy who knocked her up in school." he ranted.

"Carrow?" 

"Amycus' Father."

That made sense. He knew the Carrow twins would've been around the same age as her brother.

"So how old was she when your brother was born?" Draco asked.

"She was seventeen when Barty was born, then thirty-four when I was born. She was fourty-five when she passed." she explained.

"She's here?" Draco heard a feminine voice from behind them.

"Yes, Mummy! She's with that boy over there!"

Get off my bloody case, please!

Audrey stood, facing the painting to the right of Morfin, watching the little boy drag his Mother through an archway. Her Mother's painting was beautiful. In it, there was an archway leading to the room that housed a large sofa with a chair, both of which looked very expensive.

"Darling! I seen you two walking in, but I thought I wouldn't prod. You're alright, dear? Who told you?" her Mother spoke, sitting on the sofa and pulling the little boy into her lap.

"Rose and Astoria. I think I'm alright," she smiled, watching the boy play with her Mother's hands.

"Who's your friend?"

"This is Draco. We're.... together, sort of. He stays with me at school, and he keeps me focussed," she smiled. Draco had never been one to think that he could keep someone focussed. If anything, he could be the biggest distraction you could ever meet.

"How good of him. You need to stay focussed, and away from those darker places in the mind. We can't dwell on those kinds of things forever. Does he know?"

"Yes. I think," she nodded, and Draco moved closer to her, trying to avoid the stares and mutters of the other paintings in the room.

"Good. You're a Malfoy, correct? I went to school with your parents. They were... good to me when I had Caspar," she said to Draco, and he wasn't quite sure what to say, so he just nodded. "Right, it was awfully nice meeting you, but you should get back. A little birdy told me you wanted to go back to school."

"I knew I shouldn't have told Minky," Audrey muttered, and grasped Draco's hand again, leading him out. "Bye!"

Almost every painting said their goodbyes, and he seen one boy in particular run from his Mother's knee, through the archway.

When out of the room, the small painting of a nursery in front of them filled with the little boy.

"Audrey, I'll miss you," he said, gripping a toy.

"I'll miss you as well, Caspar. My Father will be painted in soon, so she won't be as difficult," she muttered. 

"Okay. Please can you make sure that man with the brown hair doesn't come back again for the elves?" he asked her, and Draco watched her face go pale.

"I'll try my best, Caspar."


End file.
